International Womens Day celebrations Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR/JAMMU Mar 8: International Womens Day celebrations held at Government College for Women MA Road Srinagar witnessed some major reforms being made by the Government for empowering the girl students and women of J&K with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha making major announcements that will facilitate the education and entrepreneurship of female folks of the UT. Keeping in view of this years theme of International Womens Day i.e “Choose to Challenge” and to celebrate Azaadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav- India@75 the Lt Governor announced the launch of Super-75 scholarship scheme to support the education of meritorious girls belonging to poor families so that they can excel in streams like Medicine Engineering ITI and Humanity and contribute to nation building. Strengthening women entrepreneurs ecosystem in J&K the Lt Governor also announced a new scheme – Tejaswini under Mission Youth to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs to the girls between the age group of 18 to 35 years to start their business. Mission Youth will provide 10 % of the project cost and will also pay the interest every year said the Lt Governor. The Lt Governor called upon the women entrepreneurs to reap maximum benefit out of this zero interest scheme and spread the word so that other women can also avail of the benefits and take a leap towards their economic empowerment. “A new era of change and development is ushering in J&K a change that will provide women their rightful place a voice an identity and individuality. We are making tireless efforts to ensure womens safety modern education and economic independence” the Lt Governor maintained. The Lt Governor observed that 88 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and 88 Girls Hostels have been made functional in far flung areas and this would help in filling the gender gap and controlling the girl child dropout rate. To assist the higher education of girls the Government is also providing 13 different scholarship schemes he added. He lauded the young women achievers for making significant contributions to the welfare of society and making J&K proud. Highlighting various initiatives taken by the government for the promotion of skill development the Lt Governor said that a few days ago Mission Youth in collaboration with Bombay Stock Exchange imparted skill development training in banking and financial services in which more than 25 % women participated. Mission Youth is soon going to start a digital marketing skill development programme and 50 % girls participation is expected in the said program added the Lt Governor. Later the Lt Governor interacted with the women achievers present on the occasion and assured full cooperation and support of the government in their future endeavours. Pandurang K Pole Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary Deputy Commissioner Srinagar; Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah CEO Mission Youth; and G M Dar Director JKEDI also spoke on the occasion and extended their greetings on International Womens Day. Meanwhile Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today called for creating a Gender Neutral Ecosystem in J&K where the women can choose any profession job or business. He was speaking during an event held at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium Jammu University to celebrate International Womens Day. Lt Governor assured equal opportunities and widening of womens sphere of activities so that their special talents and experiences could enrich Jammu & Kashmirs economy and public service. He said there are many examples of women achievers who fought all odds and overcame all barriers. Today women are breaking many stereotypes by doing some exceptional work in the field which once was considered being only for men said the Lt Governor. He made a special mention of Pooja Devi the first female bus driver of J&K and expressed his happiness that women of the UT are breaking barriers. Women are no less than men. The Government is committed to providing equal opportunities to women. Men and women both have to work collectively to take J&K to new heights of development the Lt Governor maintained. The Lt Governor further called for more participation of Women in J&Ks workforce with the help of Mission Youth Himayat and Skill Development Centres. Speaking on the occasion Farooq Khan Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor said that celebrations of International Womens Day is one among the many steps taken towards the ultimate empowerment of women. On the occasion the Lt Governor also felicitated outstanding women achievers in their respective fields. Financial Commissioner Finance Dr Arun Kumar Mehta; Principal Secretary to Government Social Welfare Department Bipul Pathak; Vice Chancellor Jammu University Manoj Kumar Dhar were also present.

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