SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government has embarked on numerous initiatives to create a gender-inclusive ecosystem in the Union Territory for ensuring women get enhanced access to education besides socio-economic growth.
The government led by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, is providing all opportunities to J&K women to progress and prosper in all fields of life ensuring their equal role in development pursuits. The administration is leaving no stone unturned to ensure social and economic equality for women in the UT which is integral to achieving rapid growth and development. Women empowerment and their equal presence in the technology sector are important to building a strong community, a resilient state and a stronger country.
For the first time, the government took a historic decision that the spouse of a Jammu and Kashmir domicile shall also be deemed as a domicile. Earlier, spouses of Permanent Resident Cardholders were considered at par but not domiciles.
In this regard, Jammu and Kashmir administration added a clause to J&K Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, allowing the spouse of a native woman married outside the Union Territory to apply for a domicile certificate.
The order has also modified the application of domicile condition to all levels of jobs in Jammu and Kashmir government, as the newly added clause has been brought under the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act as well.
Lieutenant Governor recently during a meeting with members of Jammu and Kashmir’s first women cycling club ‘Women do Ride’ said the government is making proactive intervention to create facilities to encourage women participation in governance, business and other sectors. He appreciated the role of women in society terming their complete empowerment as a game changer in the development world of the UT.
J&K government is taking necessary steps so that our girls are well equipped with knowledge, skills and self-confidence and included at all levels of governance.
The AICTE’s scholarship program and UT government’s initiatives like Hausla, Tejaswini, Umeed, LG Super 75, Parvaaz and Mumkin are some of the major steps taken up by the government towards women empowerment and bridging the gender gap.
The focus of J&K government is on effective implementation of policies and programmes tailored for women emancipation which is pre-requisite for progress and prosperity of the UT. Focus is being accorded on skill training and re-skilling of women so that they have equal share in future economic opportunities.
Collective efforts are yielding tangible results and it is important to notice that during Kashmir University’s convocation, there were 94 gold medalists in 2021, of which, 77 per cent or 66 were girls. Similarly, during the convocation of Islamic University of Science and Technology, the majority of gold medalists were women which is a clear sign of women empowerment.
The J&K government has made headways in strengthening industry-academia partnerships and skill development of students at higher secondary level also. (This is an unedited version of press release issued by DIPR-JK)
