Social justice key to Viksit Bharat goals: India at UN

New Delhi, Feb 4
Social justice is central to India's Viksit Bharat goals, said Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur at the 64th session of the UN Commission for Social Development in New York, US.

Leading the Indian delegation, Thakur highlighted its rights-based, inclusive, and people-centric development approach at the UN discussion. "Social justice remains central to India's national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047," the Minister said.

Recalling that the Copenhagen Declaration placed people at the heart of development and that the Doha Political Declaration reaffirmed this commitment amid emerging global challenges, the Minister noted that India's governance philosophy of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' reflects a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to ensure dignity, equity, and opportunity for all


Highlighting India's large-scale social protection and inclusion measures, Thakur shared that over 800 million people are covered under food security programmes.

More than 550 million citizens access free healthcare through an extensive network of health and wellness centres.

Further, affordable medicines and medical devices are also provided through 16,000 Jan Arogya Kendras. Over 1.45 million elected women representatives serve in local governance, reflecting India's commitment to grassroots democracy.

Flagship initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana are strengthening education and financial security for girls.

Labour reforms are promoting equal pay, safe workplaces, and women's workforce participation in the country.

Moreover, large-scale collateral-free loans have enabled millions of women, entrepreneurs, and street vendors to enter the formal economy.

Targeted schemes such as SMILE are supporting the rehabilitation and inclusion of transgender persons and other vulnerable groups.

"India's development journey integrates digital public infrastructure, direct benefit transfers, and citizen participation, ensuring transparency and last-mile delivery," Thakur said.

Reaffirming India's civilisational ethos of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" -- the world is one family -- the Minister expressed India's readiness to strengthen global partnerships and share its development experience to advance social justice worldwide.