India and Indian Women are Evolving: FM Sitharaman in US

As the Indian government implements various initiatives to improve women's safety, health, and financial independence, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted these changes during her address at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in the U.S. She emphasized that both India and Indian women are evolving. Sitharaman noted that maternity leave for working women has been extended to six months, a change advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Two years ago, we introduced a scheme that raised interest rates on deposits made by women to 7.5% to encourage them to save in banks rather than keeping cash at home,” she stated during her keynote speech titled “Laying the Foundations for a Developed India ViksitBharat by 2047.”

The Finance Minister also mentioned that property registration in women's names comes with tax benefits, and the Poshan Scheme addresses the nutritional needs of pregnant women and nursing mothers. “Under the PM Awas Yojana, the registration of permanent houses is done either in a woman's name or jointly with a male member,” she added.

Earlier, Sitharaman met with Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, and his team in San Francisco. They discussed the significant advancements in India’s digital infrastructure under the Digital India initiative, which has positioned the country as a global leader in digital adoption. Kurian praised India’s AI Mission and the direction the country is taking under PM Modi's leadership, advocating for enhanced connectivity through land and sea cables.

He also mentioned Google Cloud's goal to operate entirely on carbon-free energy at its data centers and offices worldwide by 2030, along with an upcoming investment strategy focused on India. The Finance Minister encouraged Google Cloud to explore local partnerships in India to foster collaboration and develop technology for both India and the global market as part of the ‘Make In India’ initiative.