hn_ANI_delhi_bjp_leader_smriti_irani_attends_22-34-24

ETVBHARAT

1/10/2025

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00:00the problems for widows was just overlooked, but there's still so much work to do. Widows continue

00:07to face systemic barriers and social stigma, but we have proved you can actually make a difference.

00:18I said originally that we focused on educating widows' children, but over time I managed to

00:24persuade Lord Lindner that women's economic empowerment was also vital. As we heard,

00:30women should not just be seen as beneficiaries, they should be seen as leaders and agents of

00:36their own future. And this is why this programme and the other programmes that we have done which

00:42provide widows with skill training and tools to start their own businesses, and most importantly

00:51to help them have their own financial independence and dignity. Because with financial independence

01:00comes choice, the power to have control over your life. And we've worked with various organisations

01:08including Youth Business International, founded by then Prince of Wales, but now our king,

01:14King Charles III. We've worked with Oxfam, with Virgin Unite, and we have delivered programmes

01:20across three continents for widows in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, and Chile.

01:29Have received training and equipment to rebuild their lives. Of course we have a big focus here

01:36in India. There are 46 million widows in India, many of whom live in extreme poverty.

01:44We organised a conference back in 2008 with the Indian Chambers of Commerce

01:50and provided more training. In 2012 we launched an empowerment programme with Rotary India

01:57International Mission with Lions Club International. In 2016 we extended our efforts to a very special

02:04place, Varanasi, the home to 90,000 widows. And the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,

02:12who actually represents that area, launched the programme to support and train 5,000

02:19widows. And similar programmes have been in Punjab, in Maharashtra, in Haryana, and in

02:24Vrindavan. Most recently, with the partnership of the US-India Friendship Alliance, we empowered

02:315,000 widows in Uttar Pradesh, in Jammu, and in Kashmir. Now I am so delighted that in this mission

02:42we have been turbocharged by a force of nature. If you think it's dangerous to get into a room

02:47with Lord Lumber, wait till you get into a room with Smriti. Well, you all know that already, don't you?

02:55She's a former minister, but she's now continuing her work in many roles, one of which

03:03is as Vice President of this foundation. And her leadership and commitment to women's empowerment

03:10will absolutely make a huge difference. I am so delighted that you've joined us. We've met before,

03:16but we're having a great deal of fun together. But more than that, we are going to change things

03:23together. And one of the ways we're going to change things is by launching this new initiative,

03:28Her Skill, Her Future. And you're right, we're not ambitious enough. 100,000 is just a drop in

03:36the ocean. But it is, as Lord Lumber said, a start. And we are so delighted to be able to be

03:43in partnership with great organizations like the CII Foundation, proving, by the way, by your speech,

03:51that men absolutely understand this and that men are our partners in this. And also, of course,

03:59the Women's Collective Forum. And I wanted to acknowledge, you may have noticed that their

04:04representative today was a young woman herself. And you may not know that it was her first time

04:10in actually doing a big public speech like this. I thought she did wonderfully for a 19-year-old.

04:17And if you can do that at 19, what a force of nature she's going to be as she goes on in the

04:24world. So we are going to equip widows with skills in hospitality, in tailoring, in health care,

04:30and other trades. And part of that is going to be involving my own foundation for women. So we're

04:37going to do this in partnership. And by helping the widows take control of their lives, we're not

04:44just supporting them. We're not just supporting their families. We are also supporting their

04:52communities and, most importantly, driving development and economic growth.

hn_ANI_delhi_bjp_leader_smriti_irani_attends_22-34-24

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