Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today flagged off the CRPF Women Bike Expedition ‘Yashasvini’, from the iconic Lal Chowk, in Srinagar.
The expedition will traverse more than 2134 kilometres, crossing 40 districts to reach Ekta Nagar, Gujarat on October 31, on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an official press release informed.
It said in his address, the LG saluted the unparalleled bravery, determination and courage shown by the ‘Veeranganas’ of CRPF in many difficult situations while protecting the integrity and sovereignty of the nation.
“’Yashasvini’, women bike expedition by ‘Veeranganas’ of CRPF is a symbol of resilience and strength of Nari Shakti. It also represents the sacrifice of women’s power, their self-confidence and today they are achieving many milestones in different fields with grit, determination and dedication,” the LG said.
The LG also shared the efforts of the government to promote women-led development and empower the women to lead J&K’s growth journey.
“Empowerment and full rights to ‘Nari Shakti’ is a commitment and topmost priority of the J&K administration. Our daughters are scripting success in academics, research, innovation and business sector to fulfill the dreams of an aspirational society,” the LG said.
“‘Nari Shakti’ is playing a crucial role in the developmental journey of J&K UT and they are also making immense contributions for ‘Viksit Bharat’. It is ‘Nari Shakti’ that will ensure human dignity and social equality in the future,” he said.
The LG extended his best wishes to all the ‘Veeranganas’ participating in the bike expedition. ‘Veeranganas’ of Valley QAT and Pipe Band of CRPF presented spellbinding performances to mark the occasion, the press release said.
The cross-country bike expedition is a collaborative effort of CRPF and Ministry of Women and Child Development to celebrate women power in the country. During the journey, all three teams from Srinagar, Shillong and Kanyakumari will interact with the target groups of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” (BBBP) like school children and college girls, women self-help groups, cadets of the NCC, children of CCIs, NYKS members, adolescent girls & boys, anganwadi workers etc.
The CRPF officials said the rally presented a perfect example of women power.
“Today from Srinagar, we will go to Kevedia, Ekta Nagar. Usually, we see girls are not allowed by their parents to ride bikes. But we got an opportunity and we will take full benefit of this. We enjoy the ride not thinking of this as a duty. We enjoy it. Some girls in this rally are fresh riders,” CRPF Deputy Commandant Tara Yadav, who is also participating in the event, was quoted as saying by PTI.
She said the situation has now changed and the CRPF trained those women who rode bicycles and scooties.
“We are thankful to higher authorities for providing this opportunity. We will cover 2,216 km through 15 states in this expedition,” Deputy Commandant Yadav said.
Sunita Rani, who is participating in a bike rally for the first time ever, said she was very happy and excited. “Earlier, girls were not allowed to venture out, but after we joined the CRPF, we did every task that we didn’t do before as civilians. We got a chance to prove ourselves.”
Another participant, Ritu, said such events motivate other women as well.
“I am very much excited about this rally. Earlier, we saw only boys riding bikes and we craved that. But now we got a chance to ride the Enfields. We are no less than boys,” she said.
Ruheena Sultana said she was happy as she never imagined she would be doing such an adventure. “We are feeling proud.”
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to LG; A.K. Choudhary, Special DG Crime; Nalin Prabhat, ADG CRPF J&K Zone; Ajay Kumar Yadav, IG CRPF; Vijay Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; senior officers of CRPF, civil and police administration and people in large numbers were present. (With additional inputs from PTI)
