Making a passionate appeal for fairness and gender equality, IMF chief Christine Lagarde invoked the Delhi gang-rape incident during a speech at the World Economic Forum while emphasising that the expectations of Indian women for greater respect and justice must be met.

She also remembered the young Pakistani victim Malala Yousafzai while addressing the gathering at the annual WEF meeting here.

“I dedicate the moment (of addressing WEF annual meet) to Malala, daughter of Pakistan, and another daughter in India (rape case),” International Monetary Fund chief Lagarde said last evening.

Touching upon India, the IMF Managing Director emphasised that the expectations of Indian women must be met and rued that policymakers had failed to pay attention to the crucial issues of equitable distribution and gender equality.

”... But you will ask what it has to do with economy. It is indeed about economy and equality and bringing in prosperity. No policymakers have paid enough (attention) to the fact that more equal distribution of income would help in supporting women better. Gender inequality is also very important and the policymakers have not paid enough attention to either of the two. The fact is when women do better the country does better and policymakers need to understand this,” Lagarde said.

In a case that had shocked the nation and triggered protests in India, a 23-year-old student was brutally gang-raped in a moving bus in New Delhi on December 16 last year and later she died at a hospital in Singapore.

Earlier in October, Pakistani teenage activist Malala became that target of Taliban militants. She was shot in the head for campaigning for girls’ education and had to be flown to the UK for medical treatment.

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