Respecting women is Indian tradition and part of its rich culture, so there is no need for celebrating International Women's Day, said chief minister Narendra Modi at a function to felicitate women working in Anganwadis. Shri Narendra Modi felicitated around 664 women working in Anganwadi with Mata Yashoda Award, give away Mata Yashoda Gauravnidhi to 17 women and awarded sports scholarship to 1276 women in four functions organised in last two days in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat.

In certain western countries International Women's Day is celebrated to create an environment that shows as if women are most respected in their countries only. Moreover, they propagate that women's condition in India and other Asian countries are bad. However, respecting women is our culture. "Gujarat is probably the only state where Anganwadi workers are felicitated," said Shri Narendra Modi.

He said in America, women got voting rights only in 1960, while in India they enjoy this right from the very first day of Indian independence.

In Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan women were and are on the highest posts of the nation, while Americans are still not ready to accept a woman president, he said. "This shows how much we respect women in our country", he said. In India, women have proved their abilities in fields of education, animal husbandry and dairy sectors, still some elements try to defame out nation, he said.

The bill for women's reservation is likely to be passed very soon in the parliament. Moreover, Gujarat has passed the resolution for 50% reservation in the civic election in Gujarat, he said.

The state government provided gas stove and pressure cooker to Anganwadis in the state. The state government has made provision of Rs50 crore for buildings of Anganwadis along with gas stove and pressure cooker.

Anandiben Patel, minister for women and child development, said the state government has announced 640 awards to felicitate women working in Anganwadis.