Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government was strengthening laws to provide for stringent punishment for crimes against women.

Addressing a 'Lakhpati Didi' rally at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, Modi also said his government had done more for women in the last 10 years than all the previous regimes since Independence.

“Till 2014, less than Rs 25,000 crore loans were given to women self-help groups but in the last 10 years, Rs 9 lakh crore help was given,” Modi said.

Modi, who interacted with 'Lakhpati Didis' at Jalgaon, released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups.

The 'Lakhpati Didi' scheme was not only about boosting the income of women but also about empowering future generations, Modi said.

“You must have heard that India is going to become the third-largest economy in the world. Women play a huge role in it. However, it wasn't the case a couple of years ago,” Modi said.

“Women guarantee the prosperity of every home and every family. However, there was no one to guarantee help for the women,” he said.

Women didn't have property in their name, and if they had to take a loan from a bank, they could not avail it, he said. In such a situation, they were not able to build their own small business, he added.

“Therefore, I, your son and brother, resolved to ease your lives. We took decisions in the interest of women year after year,” Modi said.

“When I visited you during the Lok Sabha elections, I promised we would make 3 crore sisters 'Lakhpati Didi'. This means women who work in Self Help Groups, and their annual income is more than one lakh rupees,” he said.

In the last 10 years, one crore Lakhpati Didis were made, and in just two months 11 lakh more Lakhpati Didi were added to one crore, he said.

Modi also said Maharashtra needed the BJP-led Mahayuti government to continue for years to come to ensure the state’s stability and prosperity.

“Maharashtra is the shining star of a developed India. The future of the state lies in more investment and job growth,” he said.

Modi expressed his anguish over the Nepal bus accident in which 14 persons from Jalgaon district were killed. “We sent our minister Raksha Khadse to Nepal,” Modi said.

Modi recalled his recent visit to Poland and the respect people there had for the people of Maharashtra.

Modi said that during World War II, the Kolhapur settlement housed Polish refugees, including women and children, and the Polish people respected the people of Maharashtra for this gesture.

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