Dear Fellow Citizens,

Namaskar!

During the past 70 years, India has overcome several obstacles to emerge as a vibrant democracy. However, democracy is more than a periodic exercise of choices to elect the government. The great tree of liberty requires constant nourishment through the institutions of democracy. The safety and security that we provide to our women and children determines the well-being of the state and society. Unfortunately despite our numerous achievements, deep rooted patterns of patriarchy, misogyny and repressive attitudes continue to prevail across the social fabric of the country, impeding women empowerment. Gender inequality, increased rates of violence against women and gender discrimination still continues to relegate women to a secondary status, subjecting them to egregious violations of human rights.

In the given socio-economic scenario, The National Commission for Women as an apex national level organization of India has a very crucial role to play. Entrusted with the responsibility to spearhead the Commission, I remain extremely honored, humbled and determined to do my best. I aspire to be a catalyst in empowering women to live with dignity and contribute as equal partners in national development, in an environment free from violence and discrimination. I along with my dedicated team continue to make concentrated efforts to ensure that we benefit our stakeholders by going beyond reactive interventions and fulfilling our mandate proactively. We realize that marginalization of women is further exacerbated by deep rooted, multiple and structural discriminations on the basis of caste, class, religion, ethnicity, disability and other factors. Systematically attempting to address these existing challenges, we remain committed to accelerating progress towards safeguarding women's rights.

Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has time and again emphasized on empowering ‘Nari Shakti’, acknowledging their immense contribution in nation building. The National Commission for Women remains committed to strengthen his vision of ‘women development but also women-led development’. As a responsible citizen of the country, each of us has a duty towards building a fair, equitable and just environment for our women. I urge you to join hands in this mission today and become a gender equality champion. I seek your blessings and continued support

Jai Hind!