Patriarchy is a concept invented by the Left, claims Sitharaman

Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opinioned that patriarchy never stopped women from achieving what they want in India. She asked if it was the other way round, how come Indira Gandhi made it as prime minister of the nation, PTI reported.

Interacting with the students of CMS Business School here on Saturday, Sitharaman claimed that patriarchy is a concept invented by the Left.

She advised women in the audience, "Don't get carried away by fantastic jargon. If you stand up for yourself and speak logically, patriarchy will not stop you from achieving your dreams."

However, she admitted that women are not adequately facilitated, and more of the same is needed.

Then she claimed that Narendra Modi-led government in the Centre is creating an environment that is conducive to innovators. She was answering a question about the prospects of innovators in India.

She listed out various measures undertaken by the Centre to support innovation as well as the government schemes available for young people, including the one crore internships for the 'unemployable youth' in the age group of 21 to 24.

"We do not just support innovation by bringing out policies," she said, adding that the Indian government is doing its best to ensure that such innovations find markets too.

As an example, she cited the support mechanism that is available for MSMEs. According to her, they are given priority in government procurements.

Ms Sitharaman said 40 per cent of all government procurements come from MSMEs. "That is why we have more than 2 lakh startups today in India, and more than 130 have become unicorns. The opportunity is immense but is not fully utilised," she said.

It is the same with the digital banking transformation that is happening in India, she added.