Women central to India's growth story: Modi govt celebrates 11 years of 'Shashkt Nari'

As the BJP-led NDA government marks 11 years in power, it is celebrating "New momentum for Nari Shakti-11 years of Shashkt Nari" -- a decade-long journey of empowering women through targeted reforms and ambitious missions.

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The Central government, in a press release, has hailed its efforts as a transformation of Indian women from "passive recipients to active agents of change, central to India's growth story."

Nari Shakti, now recognised as a national mission, aims to empower every woman -- urban or rural, young or elderly -- to live with dignity, safety, and self-reliance.

According to the government, the approach has been bold, inclusive, and lifecycle-based, spanning healthcare, education, digital access, sanitation, financial inclusion, and more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly stressed that India can only progress when its women are equally empowered.

Since 2014, women have increasingly taken the lead in entrepreneurship, science, defence, sports, and governance.

With women and children forming nearly 67.7 per cent of the population, the government sees women's empowerment not just as social reform, but as a strategic necessity for national growth.

The Modi government's efforts have been anchored in a comprehensive, lifecycle-based policy framework. Landmark initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mission Shakti, and the constitutional passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam have shifted the focus from women's development to women-led development.