Speaking at the centenary celebrations of the Maharashtra Legislative Council in Mumbai, President Droupadi Murmu pointed out that women constitute half of India’s population and their active participation in various spheres was needed to take the country forward,  according to the news agency Press Trust of India.

The president added that there was a need to change the way we look at women. These comments were made  in the backdrop of recent cases of crime against women, with the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata triggering outrage.