‘Active involvement of women lawmakers in growth needed’

Active involvement of women Parliamentarians in the development process will result in meaningful and inclusive growth, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Sunday. “As development partners, we can involve citizens in the process of development and can also strengthen innovative partnerships with civil society organisations to scrutinise and assess the effectiveness of various Government programmes.

“Therefore, active involvement of our women Parliamentarians in the process will result in a greater responsiveness towards citizen’s needs and will lead to greater harmony, meaningful development and inclusive growth,” Mahajan remarked at the valedictory session of BRICS Women Parliamentarians’ Forum here. She also stressed on inclusiveness in development to make it sustainable and effective while underlining the role of laws and legislations to achieve sustainable development. Noting that the members of Parliament are a better interface between citizens and government, the Speaker said, sustainable development can be brought about by this interface and also through laws and legislations. “Development must be inclusive if it is to be equitable, sustainable and effective. Therefore mainstreaming equity is vital for the socio-economic conditions of people,” she said.