India, March 9 -- President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday lauded women's strength and achievements, and exhorted them to realise their full potential, saying, "We are no lesser beings."

Addressing an event organised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to mark International Women's Day, the president said the occasion was not only to honour women's achievements but also to reaffirm the nation's commitment to their empowerment.

Murmu highlighted women's pioneering roles in education, administration, judiciary, armed forces, medicine, science, technology, arts, entrepreneurship and sports.

She noted that rural women are becoming economically self-reliant through self-help groups and providing leadership in village development, while...