Feminism should not be women-centric: Sitharaman

Vijayawada: Women should rise above the glass ceiling and fight against atrocities on them. Laws alone, including the much-hyped Nirbhaya Act, cannot prevent the attacks on women and girl-child, said Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman here on Friday.

Addressing the inaugural function of a two-day State-level Girls’ convention organised by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Nirmala Sitharaman advocated that parents should treat girls on a par with boys. She, however, said feminism should not be women-centric.

The Union Minister did not agree with the notion that sexual abuse was due to provocative dressing. She questioned as to why women aged more than 60, though they were clad in traditional attire, were also being targeted. If shirt and pant, which were not of Indian origin, were acceptable national public dress for men in India, why should anyone raise objection over the dress worn by the women, she asked. Personal and cultural values should be imparted to boys also as most families tended to impose safeguards on girls only, she pointed out.

Narsapuram MP Gokaraju Gangaraju and ABVP Organising Secretary (South-East States) G Laxman, State President G Anjani Srinivas, Secretary S Sunil Reddy, City President N Nandini were among those present.

Special category status for AP soon
The Central government is studying the proposal in regard to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh, said the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitaraman.

Speaking to the media here on Friday, Nirmala Sitaraman said the government was studying the proposal from all angles. She reiterated that the NDA government, headed by Narendra Modi, was committed to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh. However, she refused to give any timeframe for conferring the status on the State but said that she too was keen on ensuring that the State secures the status at the earliest.

When asked about granting more industries on Andhra Pradesh, the Union Minister said she had noticed several big companies showing interest in investing in the State. The industries, like Pharmaceuticals, food processing, Information Technology, cotton and textiles were some of the industries that were likely to be established in Andhra Pradesh, the Union Minister said.

Nirmala Sitaraman further said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Ministers the AP Government's representative in Delhi K Rammohana Rao and others were in constant touch with the Central government.

She said that as an MP from this State and also a Minister in the coalition government was equally responsible for the development of the State.

She expressed confidence that the State would be developed living up to the expectations of the people under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.