President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said it is inexcusable that women in India do not feel as secure and safe as they should.

In his address at the presentation of the Nari Shakti Puruskar for the year 2016 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he said the government is concerned about the rising rate of violent crimes against women.

"Government is equally concerned at the rising rate of violent crimes against women.

"It is inexcusable that women in India do not feel as secure and safe as they should. Gender biases have no place in modern India where inclusive development is a key objective," he said, stressing an emphasis should be on early sensitisation of youth in schools and institutions.

"A greater emphasis on early sensitisation of children and youth in schools and institutions of higher learning would help inculcate due respect for the female gender. This should be taken up through appropriate measures in our rural and urban populations and through well-conceived and coherent government programmes," he said.
 

Mukherjee said that on the International Women's Day, it is "important to reiterate that every girl child and woman in our country should be assured that Government of India is fully committed to providing her an enabling environment that affords equal opportunity".

The President ' title=' President '>President also mentioned government's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme, saying it is designed to motivate girl children in every part of the country to enroll in primary education.

"The programme entails selective intervention - 100 districts across India have been targeted in 2015 and expanded to 61 additional districts in 2016," he said.