Women need more empowerment: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu

Hyderabad: Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said no nation could progress if women lag behind. Every effort has to be made to empower them economically, politically and in other fields.

Mr Naidu was speaking a after laying the foundation stone for the Regional Vocational Training Institute on Saturday at Hyderabad. He said that from the Vedic times women were treated with respect and veneration in India.

“In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, Durga is the goddess of power and Saraswathi is the goddess of learning. The respect accorded in ancient times to women is missing in modern times and this tendency not to treat them as equals has apparently contributed to lower literacy rates and lack of empowerment,” he said.

He said that successive governments were trying to correct this distortion and change the mindset of the people by according equal importance to boys and girls in all matters from education to inheritance of properties.

He said that he was told that the RVTIs were mainly set up to train women instructors who would teach students through a network of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). The RVTIs offer training in fashion design and technology, architectural assistantship, cosmetology, front office assistant, secretarial practice (English), food and beverages service assistant.

He also inaugurated the centre of excellence of the Institute of Company Secretaries of In-dia. Speaking at the event, Mr Naidu said that in the wake of globalisation and the increasing role of corporates in driving economies, it had become imperative for professionals like company secretaries to acquire cutting-edge knowledge and skills that were not only in tune with the best practices but also facilitate and promote good corporate governance.

He said apart from setting the benchmark for high standards in corporate governance, such centres should accord high priority to research and innovative practices.