The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that family system is the best medicine to protect youngsters from slipping into depression. He was addressing the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Ethiraj College for Women, in Chennai today. The Minister for Fisheries and Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Tamil Nadu, Shri D. Jayakumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.The Vice President said that there is no better antidote to patriarchy, fundamentalism, extremism and dogmatism than women's education. He stressed on the need to educate the girl child to empower the society. If India has to become a country that lives by the Constitutional values that it espouses, and then it must put girl’s education at the centre of its development efforts, he added.Expressing concern over the disturbing incidents of discrimination gender inequality against women, the Vice President called for strict action against such societal evils.The Vice President said that women empowerment is key to national development and added that India is taking major steps to involve women in India's development journey. He appreciated the contribution of women in national development and said that Indian women have demonstrated excellence in various fields.
Be it politics, industry, sports, technology, service or scholarship they established that women, given a chance, are capable of scaling great heights, he added.The Vice President said that education is not only an entry point to economic opportunities but also has positive ripple effects on all other aspects of social development.Talking about the increasing number of depression cases among the youth, the Vice President opined that young people were becoming increasingly aloof from the people around them and absence of experienced advice was pushing youngsters into severe depression. He asked the youngsters to have a regular interaction with elders in the family. Lack interaction at home is depriving them of guidance and support, he said.The Vice President said that excessive use of Internet and Gadgets is disturbing the body clock of young children and depriving them of the required sleep. He asked students and youngsters to follow a strict routine and dedicate time for physical exercise.The Vice President said that Ethiraj College for Women made a modest beginning with 96 girls in 1948 has today grown to become Chennai's largest womens' college with around 8000 students.The college has produced luminaries in the field of entertainment, science and technology and others, he added.