India cannot progress towards a Viksit Bharat unless the challenges faced by its women are addressed, said External Affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday.

Chairing a session on ‘Celebrating Women’s Leadership and Influence – Nari Shakti’ at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, the EAM said the challenges that women face are age-old and deeply percolated into Indian culture and society. “It starts at birth and boils down to the discussion on who has the claim over the resources of a family. That is where the deepest discrimination is practised,” Jaishankar said.

Women are 50 per cent of India’s talent and the challenges they face, are 50 per cent of India’s problems. “If India is to become a modern, industrial and tech-centric society, then we cannot ignore 50 pc of our talent. We cannot deprive them of opportunities or short-change them,” he said.

Read more at: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2025/Jan/11/viksit-bharat-cannot-be-achieved-without-womens-development-union-minister-s-jaishankar