Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao has said Indian system was fair and the best in the world when it came to acknowledging the contribution of women. Speaking to students of the University of Florida in Washington, she said this was amply demonstrated in the very fact she being a women rose to be the highest position in Indian diplomacy.

Rao said the very thought that statecraft, the conduct of relations between sovereign countries, could involve women, was new, even up to a few decades ago. The Indian Ambassador said the fact that we had a woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, at the time was a revolutionary development not only for India but for the world.

She said, it made Indians ascent as women much more acceptable to society at large. She said India was today going through a process of historic change. She added that aspirations were rising with millions being lifted out of poverty and the country's accelerated growth has made it well poised to be one of the leading economies of the world.