Karnataka CM urges women to lead from villages to Parliament, cites Sita

During the inauguration of the fifth edition of ‘Together We Grow-International Women Entrepreneurship Day’, Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar used the character of Sita from the Ramayana to illustrate women’s resilience and urged them to take on leadership positions from local panchayats to Parliament. He lauded women entrepreneurs who have succeeded despite challenges and stressed that the state’s growth depends on their creativity, access to capital, technology and markets.

Shivakumar cited the government’s guarantee schemes—Shakti, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya and Yuva Nidhi—detailing benefits such as free bus travel and cash transfers to 1.22 crore women. He also mentioned women-focused initiatives like low-interest loans, subsidies and the Stree Shakti scheme, noting that women constitute 40% of annual medical graduates. The chief minister referenced Sonia Gandhi’s sacrifices, as well as mythological figures Draupadi and Kunti, to underscore women’s potential, and defended the controversial Bengaluru tunnel project, urging women entrepreneurs to support it. He concluded by calling for collective effort to drive Karnataka’s development.