Centre’s initiatives have emboldened women to report crimes, says Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani criticizes Jairam Ramesh over women's issues, highlighting Modi government's initiatives for women's welfare.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on March 26 slammed Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh over his comments criticising the performance of the Centre on women-related issues.

In a series of posts on X, Ms. Irani cited the achievements of her government and said the Congress leader “glosses over NCRB [National Crime Records Bureau] data, blatantly ignoring the initiatives of the Modi government, which have emboldened women to boldly report crimes”.

On Monday, Mr. Ramesh listed the “massive failures” of the Ministry of Women and Child Development in the last 10 years, and said a new era of women’s safety, prosperity, and development will begin when a Congress government “takes charge in June”. He claimed that the Modi government’s slogans of “nari shakti” remain empty words without real action, and the WCD Ministry had seen only “incompetence, apathy, and an anti-women mindset”.

Lashing out at the Congress leader’s criticism, Ms. Irani dubbed Jairam Ramesh the “courtier” of the Gandhis. “For far too long, the dynastic rulers masquerading as the rightful heirs of India have plundered its wealth. Even after their downfall, their courtiers continue to distort facts, manipulating figures to undermine the BJP government’s efforts for women’s welfare.”

In a long thread on X, she highlighted the work done by her Ministry. “The inept courtier glosses over NCRB data, blatantly ignoring the initiatives of the Modi government, which have emboldened women to boldly report crimes, while simultaneously spearheading vigorous efforts to combat crime against women,” she said.

The Union Minister said that while the Congress leader acknowledges the UPA’s establishment of the Nirbhaya Fund [for women’s safety], he conveniently omits the glaring fact that not a single rupee was deployed from this fund until 2014.

“Post-2014, under the Modi regime, a total of 40 projects have been rolled out across the nation through the Nirbhaya Fund. As of FY 2023-24, a total sum of ₹7,212.85 crore has been allocated, of which 75 per cent has already been utilised on initiatives implemented by the Central and State governments,” she added.