New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Mobilising the "vast latent capabilities of our women" was imperative to democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday while advocating a a more meaningful voice for women in political and developmental processes.

"The representative bodies (in India) should think of ways to marshal the energy and the impatience of the young and the vast latent capabilities of our women," Manmohan Singh said in his address at the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) here.

The five-day conference, being attended by 50 speakers and presiding officers from 42 parliaments in the Commonwealth, began Monday with a meeting headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

Hailing Meira Kumar for her "iron fist beneath a velvet voice", the prime minister said the task of running parliament smoothly, giving due representation and voice to all sections, had become complex and challenging.

"I am pleased that the speaker facing these challenges in our own parliament is a very distinguished woman, Mrs. Meira Kumar, who sheathes the proverbial iron fist beneath a velvet voice.

"It is also imperative that women are given a more meaningful voice in our political and developmental processes. In India, I am proud to say that, with reservation in our local bodies, we have today more than a million elected representatives who are women. They are deepening our democracy and enriching our development processes," he said.