First female president sworn in
India’s first female president was sworn in, vowing to eliminate the practice of aborting female fetuses and to empower women, who are often treated as second-class citizens.
“Empowerment of women is particularly important to me as I believe this leads to the empowerment of the nation,” 72-year-old Pratibha Patil told lawmakers, calling for universal education.
“We must banish malnutrition, social evils, infant mortality and female feticide,” she said.
Daughters are often seen as a burden because tradition requires that a bride’s family pay the groom’s family a large dowry.
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