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The progress of a country will be largely dependent on the extent of inclusion of it's women, in all spheres of activity. I firmly believe in this and this Government has realized this even more. The inclusion of women in the armed forces is increasing by the day. We see a lot of top scientists in ISRO and women leaders in banking and business. The female toppers in Board examinations and Civil services is more the rule than exception, since quite sometime. It is evident that women have been lacking opportunities in the past. Increasingly it is being felt that women employees are more loyal and trustworthy. However, as mentioned, we have a very long way to go for a total change of mindset and social behavior. An excellent article indeed Anil 👏 👍 👌

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Dear Gautam,

Thank you so much for your kind words and endorsing the idea of women being key to India's future.

Look forward to your continued participation.

Best

Anil

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Dear Anil

Heartiest Congratulations for such a great honour by the PM. No small feat and a well deserved appreciation. Like you rightly pointed out, you focus on niche subjects which may not be attractive for mainstream media. However, this is a true reflection of what is happening in our country.

I do recall PM Modi's first Independence Day address when he first introduced the topic of providing toilets to every household in India. Everyone was shocked that a PM would talk about such an issue which had never been mentioned by anyone before. There was also a lot of mockery that such topics are not meant to be discussed at all. This one issue did set the tone for the development in the years to follow. The focus was already on providing dignity to the women of India. Later on it was a natural progression towards providing financial independence to women. The availability of drinking water, cooking gas etc affect everyone but women bear the maximum inconvenience due to the lack of these basic amenities which we generally take for granted. It is most heartening to note that even the set ratio has changed. As a lady myself, I really appreciate the changes favouring women. Things which were considered unimaginable till a few years back are also being achieved now. This just proves that if the intentions are noble, no hurdle is insurmountable.

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Dear Ranjini,

Glad to have you back and thank you so much for the felicitations. It is indeed a shot in the arm for this newsletter.

And thank you for setting out such great perspective beginning with the PM's Independence Day address in 2014. True, he and the idea was mocked. In a way that is the natural response when you disturb status quo. All the basic you have listed has hit a fundamental reset.

Want to share a statistic to make my point. In 2010, 430 million people did not own a bank account. The rollout of Aadhaar enabled e-KYC, enabling the government to accelerate financial inclusion. Today, it is near saturation levels. According to the BIS, Geneva, it takes a country 45 years to deliver this level of financial inclusion. India managed it in just seven years.

It only reinforces the power of belief. Like you said nothing is unimaginable no more. Indeed that is the power of change.

Looking forward to your continued participation.

Best

Anil

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Loved the way the data on tax returns was presented with the map. Interesting ready today too. Cheers!

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Thank you so much Sidhartha. Glad you liked today's contribution too.

Best

Anil

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Dear Anil,

Many congratulations!! It is truly well deserved.

The article today is very well researched with lots of facts and figures.it is true that in India a large number of women have bank accounts and there is financial inclusion.

But, the latest report by 2 UN agencies, UNDP and UNWomen classifies India low on Women Empowerment Index ( WEI) and Global Gender Parity Index ( GGPI).

The gender gap is 44% according to the reports.National political representation lags, with only 14.7% seats in parliament held by women and around 16% in all managerial position.

But in many empowerment indicators the Indian women and girls perform much better and India leads the way.

With the PM mentioning it on Independence Day , this important issue will gain more momentum.

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Dear Vandana,

Thank you so much for your kind words of appreciation.

Couldn't agree with you more. Gender empowerment is still very much a work in progress. My point is that with such a concentrated public policy focus the imbalance will start to correct. The onus is also on other stakeholders, which includes us citizens.

Best

Anil

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Congratulations Anil for the attention received from our Hon'ble PM. Truly deserved my friend ! Your articles are extremely well researched, informative and eye openers for the common man👍

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Dear Kapil,

Thank you so much for your kind words. Much appreciated.

Best

Anil

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Wonderful to learn that PM Modi has appreciated your article 👏

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Thank you so much Gautam.

Grateful.

Best

Anil

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Hi Anil

Heartiest congratulations for having been noticed and quoted by the Hon’ble Prime Minister !

Excellent observation to have picked up Women part from the Independence Day address !

While lot has been achieved, I agree with you that much more needs to be done !

Best regards

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Dear Balesh,

Thank you so much. It was a pleasant surprise.

Look forward to your continued support.

Best

Anil

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