First female president sworn in
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India’s first female president was sworn in, vowing to eliminate the practice of aborting female fetuses and to empower women, who are often treated as second-class citizens.
“Empowerment of women is particularly important to me as I believe this leads to the empowerment of the nation,” 72-year-old Pratibha Patil told lawmakers, calling for universal education.
“We must banish malnutrition, social evils, infant mortality and female feticide,” she said.
Daughters are often seen as a burden because tradition requires that a bride’s family pay the groom’s family a large dowry.
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