Sudha Murty’s maiden Rajya Sabha speech draws praise from PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty for her impactful maiden address in the upper house. Murty, renowned for her philanthropy and literary contributions, addressed crucial issues during her speech, focusing on women's health and promoting domestic tourism.

Murty emphasised the importance of vaccination for girls aged nine to 14, highlighting its role in preventing cervical cancer. "There is a vaccination which is given to girlsbetween the age of nine to 14, known as a cervical vaccination. If the girls take that, it (cancer) can be avoided ... we should promote vaccination for the benefit of our girls because prevention is better than cure,” she said.

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Quoting her father, she said that when a mother dies it is counted as one death in the hospital but for the family, a mother is lost forever. The government has handled a very “big vaccination drive during Covid” so it may not be very difficult to provide cervical vaccination to girls in the age group of 9-14 years, Murty said.

Murty also highlighted the effectiveness and affordability of cervical vaccination, developed in the West and used for the past two decades.

"It worked very well. It is not expensive. Today it is ₹1,400 ($16.76) for people like me who are in the field. If the government intervenes and negotiates...you can bring it to ₹ 700-800 ($8.38 - $9.58). We have such a large population. It will be beneficial for our girls in the future," she said during her 13-minute address.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to Sudha Murty for her comprehensive discussion on women's health. "I want to thank Sudha Murty for speaking in detail about women's health," he said.

PM Modi cited the impact of initiatives such as the provision of sanitary pads and vaccination programmes for pregnant women, emphasising their role in enhancing women's health across the country.

"Our country's women have benefited from the toilets we have made," PM Modi remarked, underscoring the government's commitment to improving women's health and well-being.

Murty also mentioned that 57 domestic tourist sites deserve consideration as World Heritage Sites. These sites include the Bahubali statue at Shravanabela Gola in Karnataka, Lingaraja Temple, Unakoti rock carvings in Tripura, Shivaji forts in Maharashtra, Chausath Yogini temple in Mitawali, Lothal in Gujarat, and Gol Gumbad, among others.

"In India, we have 42 World Heritage sites, but 57 more are pending... we should focus on those 57 sites," Murty said.

In her maiden address, Sudha Murty's advocacy for women's health and promotion of domestic tourism resonated strongly, drawing praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her insightful contribution.

(With inputs from agencies)