New Delhi [India]Oct 5 (ANI): The two pillars of the new India envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are based on women’s development and holistic education policy.
The realization that education and women are two pillars to be incorporated in the push for development has taken root with regular policy decisions that are slowly but surely ensuring a self-reliant and educated India, Saudi Gazette reported.
“The progress of humanity is incomplete without the empowerment of women,” Modi has repeatedly said. And a national transformation led by women has been a defining feature under her government.
These two pillars will emerge as the foundation of national transformation en route to the realization of the New India.
The new National Education Policy (NEP-2020) which was unveiled last year has proposed sweeping changes in school and higher education. The policy aims to revamp the education system and make it a much more forward-looking and job-focused initiative, Saudi Gazette reported.
NEP-2020 is a visionary education policy for the 21st century that was launched with the aim of bringing out the capabilities of every student, universalizing education, building capacity and transforming the learning landscape.
It has the ultimate goal of making education holistic, affordable, accessible and equitable, Saudi Gazette reported.
A major step undertaken during this time, amid the raging pandemic, is the shift to online education. The new education policy encouraged schools to explore methods that could substitute for conventional teaching methods.
Additionally, the PM e-Vidya program ensures that reading and writing through the online mode continues with community television and radio options that only complement existing methods.
In addition, the One Nation One Digital platform has ensured that the electronic content of curriculum-based study material items is available in over 32 languages.
Also during the pandemic, reviews have taken place online and different mechanisms have been put in place to respond to changing realities as well.
The multi-disciplinary entrance exams were all held online to ensure no academic year was wasted due to the pandemic either, with a set of guidelines and regulations coming from the University Grant Commission (UGC ).
A portal created specifically for e-learning has been integrated with over 800 degree and diploma courses, with over 54 lakhs of students enrolling under SWAYAM.
Likewise, NISHTHA is one such program – the largest integrated teacher training program in the world; it aims to improve school education.
Additionally, there is renewed emphasis on many forums that have been created as part of a broader national digital education architecture.
Prime Minister Modi’s government has not only focused on education but has also taken several measures to improve the status of women in different segments of society.
On the social side, the Indian government has taken positive steps to ensure that the societal status of women improves.
Taking inspiration from the Constitutional Court’s landmark judgment in the Shayara Bano case in which the practice of triple talaq was deemed manifestly arbitrary, the Indian government has enacted a law abolishing the practice, Saudi Gazette reported.
Economically, too, things have improved for the better. Through amendments to existing legislation, women were allowed to work at night in metropolitan cities, increasing the scope of their opportunities.
Furthermore, to increase their access to financial capital, the Stand Up India scheme contains a provision for each bank branch to provide a loan of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to women only.
When it comes to small businesses, an overwhelming majority i.e. around 70% of the beneficiaries of the MUDRA scheme are women who have accessed loans between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh. In addition, PSUs have been mandated to source at least 3% of their required products from women-led or women-established MSMEs, Saudi Gazette reported.
This has led to a marked increase in the presence of women in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector where more than 32,000 women entrepreneurs have registered on the government e-marketplace (GeM) within months of its announcement, and the number seems to be constantly increasing.
Additionally, the opening of the Standing Commission in all three wings of the armed forces for women will be remembered as a historic step towards achieving gender parity in a male-dominated segment.
With programs like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, India strives to save the lives of her daughters and to protect and enrich them with all her resources.
With these policies in place, the youth and women of India are poised to fuel the nation’s development aspirations of a self-reliant India in the 21st century and make India a vibrant country, holding its place in the global community, in all facets of progress. (ANI)
