PM concerned over women’s security

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday expressed concern at violence against women in various parts of the country and asked the state governments to step up efforts to protect them.

“Most of the women in our country also do not have a voice,” Singh said in his inaugural address at the fourth Chief Ministers’ Conference on internal security here.

“They are often at the receiving end of violence, which our society condones and sometimes even sanctions,” he added.

“I would expect the state governments to be alive to the need of protecting our women against violence by doing their very best to ensure punishment to the perpetrators of such violence,” he added.

The daylong conference was attended by chief ministers of various states, union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, ministers of state in the home ministry — Mullappally Ramachandran and Gurudas Kamat — and top security officials.