Need to ensure equal opportunity to women: Lok Sabha speaker

New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday said empowerment and equality of women was an important sustainable development goal and called for a commitment to ensure equal opportunities for women in various walks of life.

"An aim of sustainable development goals is the empowerment of women and girl children, equality of women, quality education, health facilities and providing equal opportunity," Mahajan said in her remarks on International Women's Day.

There should be commitment for giving equality to women in every sphere of life, she added.

The UN member-states in September last year adopted an agenda for sustainable development in the next 15 years, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, inequality, injustice and hunger etc.

Mahajan also referred to a resolution adopted at the valedictory function of the two-day national conference of women legislators that ended on Sunday and said it deliberated on their role in the task of building a 'Resurgent India'.