Social evils triple talaq and nikah halala must be eradicated: President Ram Nath Kovind

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In a customary address to both houses of Parliament after the formation of the 17th Lok Sabha, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday urged all the members to cooperate in the efforts to make the lives of women "better and dignified."

He said, "To secure equal rights for every sister and daughter in the country, eradication of social evils like triple talaq and nikah halala is imperative."

In Islam, instant triple talaq allows a Muslim man to divorce his wife by saying 'talaq' three times at once. Under nikah halala, a divorced Muslim woman is made to consummate a second marriage before she can remarry her first husband.

In 2017, the Supreme Court had deemed the instant triple talaq unconstitutional. Following this, the government introduced a Bill to make triple talaq a criminal offense. However, it was not passed in the Parliament due to strong resistance from the Opposition.

The President also said that the election of 78 women MPs, the highest number of women ever appointed to the Lok Sabha, presents the image of a new India.

He added that empowering women is one of the top priorities of the government, and that the penalties for crimes against women have been made "harsher" and that the penal provisions are being implemented strictly.

“The government’s thinking promotes not only women’s development but also women-led development. According to the highest priority being women’s security, several effective steps have been initiated with the cooperation of the states,” the President explained.

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President Ram Nath Kovind touched upon the existing efforts by the government to empower women and girls, such as the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign which has reduced the rate of female foeticide and improved the sex ratio across various districts of India. He also mentioned the benefits presented by the Ujjwala Yojana, Mission Indradhanush, and Saubhagya Yojana.

The Bill to eradicate triple talaq is being brought back to the table at the Rajya Sabha today.

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