/> Preity Zinta has a serious new agenda. Women's upliftment. It looks like Preity Zinta's career beyond films will now go beyond cricket. Recently in Delhi she met the Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

"We met for just about twenty minutes, and I along with some other women like Renuka Chowdhary and some NGOs with a voice, got a chance to have a say. It was to urge him to make the upcoming budget women- friendly,to provide incentives for women in the industries, etc."

It's unusual to see an actress with such a glamorous image interacting with a senior politician on a social issue.

Preity protests, "I guess it's a natural process of growth within all individuals. I may have started off as a glamorous entity in a glamour industry. But today I took for substance and motivation in whatever I do.Whether it's my roles in films or in real life,I've to get re-inspired."

Sounding so much like Shabana Azmi, Preity avers, "I strongly feel the women with a voice in this country need to get together to create better opportunities for the silent majority.

Just think. Asking for better home loan-options for single women or widows is so difficult when they don't have a collateral security to offer. I'd like to see that change.

I also want to work for bettering hygiene and personal sanitation. And of course free and compulsory education for women."

Preity feels families in India must stop looking at the female child as paraya dhan. "I'm so lucky that my father gave me every kind of opportunity for growth. I think today I'm in a position where I earn more than a lot of boys.

If I can be here, why not girls from less privileged homes? The girl child needn't be a burden. When farmers commit suicide their widows get left behind with their children and the loans.

No one wants a woman when she's a widow when in fact she's the mother,the creator. From the home- maker to homeless is such a sad journey. Just softer interest rates for farmers would make so much difference."

Preity discussed all of this with Mr Chidambaram. "It wasn't easy getting an appointment with him. He gave us all a patient ear. He heard us out so gracefully.I had never met Mr Chidambaram before.

He's highly qualified and wonderfully articulate. We had a very positive meeting. And I hope our conversation reflects somewhere in the coming budget."

Preity was the only spokesperson from the film industry among the women who met the Finance Minister on Monday.

"I suppose it's because of my work with women specially female foeticide.I seriously feel it's time for me to give back to society some of what I've been given."