The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I'm sure you're all aware that there are 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which the whole world has agreed to achieve by 2030. One of the goals, goal number 5 refers to the gender equality empowering all women and girls. We are now talking about why gender equality? What is gender equality? As we understand in very common language, tender equality means that both men and women, boys, should have an equal opportunity to do what they want, to do what they are best at. And at the same time, they should be valued equally, favoured equally. We find that there are a large number of women who do us proud. But, mind you, they are very minority. Very recently, we had the first woman prime minister at the age of 34 in Finland with all-powered women cabinet ministers. What is it that is in India? Two percent to four percent women actually participate at the political level. Ninety-eight to ninety-four percent are all men. And what is the result of that? India today ranks out of 144 countries. Why is it so? What leads us to this kind of a pathetic situation? We look at... the targets that we have set vis-a-vis where we stand today. Our female sex ratio is 932, but when I take it at the child level, it's just 922, which means that at the child level, at the birth stage itself, we are not allowing children to actually grow, the girl child, to grow into a human being. And surprisingly, you'll find that when you take 0 to 30 age group, the number of men are more, but from 30 to 60. Women are more, which means that biologically women are superior, but they are not allowed to survive, which is a manmade disaster. So, if it's a manmade disaster, I'm sure a man and woman can together rectify this disaster. So, what do we do to improve the problems that we have at hand? 21% of the children are getting married before the legal age. We find that The women are not aware of the family planning methods, only 51%. So what is our target? All 100% women should know what their rights for reproductive health is there. When you look at infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, we find that so many women are dying while delivering. So many children are dying even after delivery, after birth. What is the main reason for that? Malnutrition is the main reason. Right from birth, the girls are not getting enough to eat, not getting enough nutrition. And it leads to an inter-generation cycle of malnutrition. So an unhealthy child, an unhealthy mother, again an unhealthy child, an unhealthy society. What do we need to do? We need to see that our 55% women who are anemic should be given enough attention. and care that yes you need to be equally healthy and you need to eat well you need to be given those required facilities to net nutrition When they grow up, they are exposed to a lot of violence. We find women are suffering from cases, and 94% cases are not even registered. Small girls are being trafficked. They are being sexually abused. When they come to labor market, they get 30% less paid than men. When you look at how many women in labor market are there, you find less women are registered. Why? Because they are stuck at home. for looking after the children. Is that not important? Are we not valuing that effort or labor that goes into rearing of children or of the family? When you look at higher education, they drop out. In the IT field or in the technical education, they are not there. So what do we do? We need to have special policies and programs to ensure that they come up in various fields. Government has made it not only a global agenda by making these United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but it is also an agenda for the country. For that, we have several schemes, plans, programs, which Start from the nation as a whole, talking of laws, talking of institutions, talking of various community efforts, programs, schemes, police, law and finally it ends up at family level where you and I are the ones who have to work together if we think that these statistics really shake from within and they give us the goosebumps we don't want to be called inhuman and therefore what we have is a plethora of acts at least 10 acts which are there to take care of discriminatory practices which are happening in the country female fetus side as you know dowry deaths you know the trafficking and and so on so we have several apps suraksha app is very popular you have helplines so any woman who is in distress or is having any kind of problem is provided a free helpline she can talk to them she can get counsel she can get medical help police help She can even get a place to stay because such people are not accepted by their own family, forget about the society. So all the facilities are being provided, something called Santwana Kendras or Swadhar Kendras, where it is all free of cost. Not only that, they get additional amount, financial assistance to take care of their day-to-day activities. We have... This very bold statement that if you are brutal with women, law will be equally brutal, our honorable president made it clear in no words. And recently we know what happened after the Hyderabad incident. We are now going for very positive steps which can improve, but attitudinal. Change is most important. From subordination to partnership, from oppression to opportunity, from marginalization to mainstreaming, from discrimination to positive discrimination. I would like to share with you some of the programs of Government of Karnataka or Government of India where gender equality is being ensured through various positive measures. We have certain schemes and programs where we incentivize the girl child. hot meals for the mothers so that they are no longer malnourished. We provide ASHAs. ASHAs are accredited social health activists. Every village has an ASHA worker who educates the woman about her rights, her programs and schemes that she can benefit from. And that should ensure that the woman doesn't suffer. There's something called Tai Card. It is given free of cost. The moment a woman is pregnant, all her medical care is taken care of. by government she doesn't have to pay anything for that including taking to the ambulance, delivery cases, doctor expenditure Bhagya Lakshmi is a very very brilliant scheme of government of Karnataka where girl child at birth is given 1 lakh bond by LIC up to the age of 18 only if she is allowed to study up to the age and not get married up to the age of 18 she gets 1 lakh cash at maturity similarly beti bachao beti padhao is a national scheme and let me tell you The results have been immensely beneficial where the 40 to 60 ratio was there of boys being born versus girls. Within two years of reorientation of the newly married men and women we found 60% girls were born and 40% boys were born. I mean that is natural selection, that is natural justice. We have Uravan scheme. Once the girl is born she should be given equal opportunity to study in whatever way she wants. She should go up to the professional. She should get degrees, she should get hostel working women, hostel facilities. She should be able to take care of her daily needs and not be dependent. And that is again providing this opportunity especially for women so that they do not lag behind in society. We have economic empowerment schemes. Even for people like sex workers and HIV AIDS affected women, they are given 50,000 rupees to start something of their own. They are being skilled so that they are independent and they can lead a life of dignity. We have Other schemes of women empowerment, particularly I would mention Stree Shakti scheme which is very popular in Karnataka where women 10-15 of similar background are organized into a self-help group They contribute 10-15 rupees per week and they run that show on their own to take care of their needs so that they don't have to beg before their husbands or parents or in-laws and ask for specific needs Finally, we have distress centers. Even at the old age, we find women, they may have spent their whole life looking after the children, yet they are left all by themselves and nobody to take care. And they don't even have the energy to be productive. So somebody has to take care and on behalf of society. such distress centers are provided to take care of the women's benefit. Apart from that, no less than our own honorable prime minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, started this Ujjwala scheme. I'm sure all of us are familiar with that. But more important than the gas cylinder, it is the dignity that he talks about. I would like to share a small song with you, which has been sung by Grammy Award winner Mr. Ricky Cage. I hope many of you heard. And my request will be that the lyrics will be on the on the screen. Please sing with us. And it says, he can grow. He can do, he can do. Girls, boys, yes, we are. So, girls, you can do anything you'd like to do. And boys, you can, too. Because that's gender equality. Teach your folks this one and sing along. She can do, he can do. So, I shouldn't fix the latest just cases are quite a vision. He loved to cook and he was a boy. He loved being in the kitchen. And I know a lady who flies a plane over the seas and sands. Well, she was a girl. She loved to work with tools of steel in her hands. Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo, the things that taste so well. She's wendu, peek-a-boo, so deep down to Excel, Excel, Excel. I'm a selfie mom, that's the very nature. Dad's doing laundry downstairs. Big sister jumps into to her chair, running errands everywhere. John, pick a job and get me down my henny, we'll be no longer in the wheel. Let's break down many carriers and get the job to the ones who will. Speak and do, speak and will, so teach them to excel, excel, excel, and see what they can do. We all want to excel. The nation will excel if both she and he will excel. Let me tell finally to gentlemen, be gentle. Girls, it is not girly. It's not girly to be kind, humane, soft, supportive. And it's not macho to be a rapist or a neapteaser. Let's change the attitude within us. Let's achieve this goal of gender equality by 2030 or even before that. Ball is in your court. Thank you once again for your attention.