Work from home can be an enabler for women, says PM Modi

India’s female work participation rate was around 25% for the year 2021, according to government data, among the lowest for emerging economies.

India can use flexible work places to encourage a higher number of women to work, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he said that the labour force had a key role in “realising the dreams and aspirations” of building a “developed nation in Amrit Kaal (golden age).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the National Labour Conference of labour ministers of all states & UTs through a video conference, in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI)

Opening a conference of state labour minister, the PM said the country had regained the status of the fastest-growing economy in the world for which a “lot of credit” goes to millions of workers.

“The need of the future is flexi work hours. We can use systems like flexible work places as opportunities for female labor force participation,” Modi said.

India’s female work participation rate was around 25% for the year 2021, according to government data, among the lowest for emerging economies.

“India can achieve its goals faster if we make use of our women power,” Modi said in his speech.

Modi said the country’s success in the 21st century would depend on how well it utilised its demographic dividend in the coming years.

He said the Union government had covered workers under various social-security schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.

The country can take advantage of global opportunities by creating a high-quality and skilled workforce, the PM said, adding India has signing migration and mobility partnership agreements with many countries. He urged states to take advantage of these partnerships.

At the conference, labour ministers from states and the labour ministry at the Centre are expected to discuss modalities for integrating a raft of social security schemes of the Centre and state governments onto a single platform, the Centre’s ‘e-Shram portal’, which is being seen as a step towards universalisation of social security in the country.