Amit Shah: In a democracy, empowering the weak, women, kids most important

Shah, who is also the Gandhinagar MP, was speaking at an event which marked the launch of an initiative to provide nutritional laddoos to pregnant women.

On the occasion, Shah handed over laddoos to some pregnant women of the region to formally launch the initiative which has been started by the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency in collaboration with voluntary organisations.

Amit Shah hands over laddoos to a woman at the event (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

“Work on infrastructure (projects) will continue to be done. But the most important work in democracy is the empowerment of the weak, poor and backward women, and to give children their rights. Only when this is done successfully can we say that elected representatives are discharging their duties cent percent,” Shah said.

“We have to plant trees. Roads have to reach each and every village. Village ponds have to be developed, and water has to be collected in them. But these facilities have no meaning if an individual remains weak, malnourished, or becomes a victim of poverty. Because in a democracy, a person is the foremost and smallest unit,” Shah added.

Launching the initiative on Janmashtami, Shah congratulated people on the occasion while adding that Bal Krishna is the “ideal model of a healthy child”.

Under the initiative, pregnant women of the Lok Sabha constituency will get 15 nutritional laddoos every month for one year. Shah said that the laddoos — full of ghee, protein and vitamins — have been prepared in such a way that they can be stored for one month.

Women at the event in Gandhinagar on Monday (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Shah also said that no government money will be used in the initiative and voluntary organisations have taken up the responsibility to run it.

“This will be a nirantar (continuous) campaign…I want to assure you that this campaign is not going to be stopped. Every pregnant mother who is poor will get these laddoos from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency,” Shah said.

He added that even when the country is celebrating the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Centre is giving lots of importance to a campaign to provide nutritious food to people under the vision of ‘Sahi Poshan, Desh Roshan’.

Amit Shah at the event in Gandhinagar on Monday (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The Union minister also called upon the elected representatives of the region to ensure that no eligible beneficiary from the constituency is deprived of the benefits of the welfare schemes of the central and the state governments.

“If we make arrangements accordingly, then I am confident that in coming days, the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency won’t take much time to be the best constituency in the country,” Shah said.

In his speech, Shah also congratulated the athletes, including Bhavina Patel of Gujarat, who have won medals for India at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.