DELHI: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today advocated the freedom and opportunities to women all over the world to develop their potential to the fullest. Women are not just a shadow of men, they have their own existence, own individuality, power, and soul, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor made these remarks while speaking at the Pride of Nation Excellence Award-2021, being organized by Respect India, Delhi on the eve of International Women’s Day.
OM Brila, Speaker Lok Sabha was the Chief Guest on the occasion, while B.P Singh, former Governor Sikkim and Manoj Tiwari, Member Parliament were also present on the occasion.
On the occasion, the dignitaries felicitated the women achievers from various fields.
During his inaugural address, the Lt Governor congratulated the distinguished women from India and abroad who were conferred awards on the occasion.
He saluted the great courage demonstrated by the women achievers for bringing justice and fairness in the society and extended his greetings on the eve of International Women’s Day.
The Lt Governor termed this year’s International Women’s Day campaign theme “Choose to Challenge” as absolutely accurate given the current circumstances. Today’s world is full of challenges that need caution and can be managed only by women. Giving them encouragement and opportunity is constantly needed so that women can contribute to their potential and strength to the fullest, he added.
Quoting Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the Lt Governor said that the progress of a community can only be measured by the progress of its women.
He laid special emphasis on promoting the women work force in the economy and to recognize and respect women’s ability, contribution, freedom, ambitions, and self-respect. He further stressed on the need to raise awareness about women’s equality and women power.
“We have to create a world where there is no discrimination, no comparison and develop a new civilization, in which balanced representation of men and women can lead to development,” observed the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor observed that women are achievers in all fields whether it is business, sports, education, agriculture, engineering, innovation and medical field. They have raised the honour of the country, he added.
Speaking on the constitutional rights of the women in India, the Lt Governor observed that the Indian Constitution has put our women on equal footing with men and has given them equal rights along men without any condition or discrimination.
The Prime Minister has given priority to schemes related to the empowerment of women, and today we are seeing the results of that as well, he added.
Throwing light on the great legacy of the women folks in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, the Lt Governor said that the abilities of women and the merit of their great leadership have a rich history.
Be it Lal Ded, Habba Khatoon, Usha Kashyap, Krishna Mistri, or Begum Zainab’s first woman force in the world, which fiercely fought Pakistani tribes in 1947, if you look at the history and present of Jammu and Kashmir, you will find that the women have raised the pride of our tricolor all over the world and left an enduring mark in every field, the Lt Governor maintained.
The Lt Governor made a special mention of Ms. Arifa from Srinagar who was among the seven women achievers to whom Hon’ble Prime Minister had dedicated his Social Media account on the occasion of International Women’s Day last year.
He said that Arifa’s commitment and thinking that the new generation should work on job creation rather than finding jobs, that makes our women, daughters, and sisters more talented than men, determined, patient and empowered.
While mentioning the recently held Convocation of Islamic University of Science & Technology, the Lt Governor observed that out of 163 Gold medalists, 105 were girls. It is a matter of pride for me as a Chancellor of the University, he added.
He also recalled his interaction with the award winning innovative women farmers during a program at SKUAST Jammu and asked others to take inspiration from such women achievers.
The Lt Governor highlighted the contributions of Ammu Swaminathan and Marie Juchacz, a German Social Reformer for promoting women rights.
The contribution of Maitreyi and Thomas in this country, which is the sacrament of spirituality and science, is what sets us apart from others, said the Lt Governor.
There are countless stories of women empowerment that inspire us. Many self-help groups are playing an important role in making women self-reliant, added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also lauded the women’s role in keeping the culture and traditions alive. A woman can be a homemaker and can also work on the latest Weapons Design. This is balancing, men cannot do this work. Therefore, I have no hesitation in accepting that no man can match a woman’s personality, her spontaneity and artistry, said the Lt Governor.
I always believe Women are more intelligent, resolute, kind and compassionate. The power of women can brighten the future of the country, added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor suggested for running a Digital Champion campaign focusing on women who are innovating in technology.
Today, the number of girls in IT education in our country is 52 percent, while in America it is only 19 percent. In Europe too, it is around 19 percent. Our number of girls in engineering education is 32 per cent, while in the US this figure is only 20 per cent and in Europe it is 28 per cent. B.Tech of IUST, Jammu and Kashmir, had 9 Gold Medalists in Computer Science and Engineering, and there were 7 girls in it.
Statistics are telling clearly that our future tech world will be run by our girls, remarked the Lt Governor.
Whether it is the field of sports, environment, creativity, self employment sector, it is necessary to run programs across the country in a mission-mode manner so that our women’s power is shared equally in nation building and overall development, the Lt Governor concluded.
Members of Respect India, besides women achievers, and prominent persons from all walks of life, attended the event in large numbers.
