New Delhi:

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said there is a need to create a society where no one will feel discriminated against on the basis of their gender, caste or religion.

Gadkari made these remarks at a function to give away the “Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar Mahila Samman” to women changemakers, ahead of the International Women’s Day that will be celebrated on March 8.

“We should build a society where no one is judged based on caste, gender, religion or social status, but rather on their talent and contributions,” Gadkari said.

The awards were instituted by the Mumbai-based Kamala Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust.

Gadkari said the world has now changed and women should not feel limited by their gender.

“Where merit exists, women are taking the lead, with 75 per cent of top achievers being women,” he said.

Union Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar spoke about women’s empowerment and the progress that Haryana has made in this regard over the years.

He recalled that during his tenure as the Haryana chief minister, he witnessed the deep-rooted taboos in the state regarding women.

Khattar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” initiative brought significant changes in Haryana.

He said during his tenure as the chief minister, 30 police stations dedicated to women were set up in the state and all these stations were managed by women officers to ensure that women can easily report their concerns without hesitation. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)