On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced the launch of Super-75 scholarship scheme to support the education of meritorious girls belonging to poor families, besides 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. The initiatives, as suggested by the Lt Governor will usher Jammu and Kashmir in a new era of change and development, a change that will provide women their rightful place, a voice, an identity, and individuality. The Lt Governor has stressed on the need to put more focus on some key areas like creating a positive environment; skill development of women entrepreneurs; facilitating financial assistance; providing global market to women entrepreneurs and connecting them with innovative products.
Women empowerment is the key to the progress and development of any society and nation. The government’s decision to not charge any fee upto 12th standard from 5,89,000 girl students who took admission in different government-run schools will ensure that the girls get better education. The results of 12th standard declared the other day by JKBOSE saw girl students shinning. Yes, J&K girls have a potential to shine but for that they need to be in schools and get education. The government has to prioritize girls’ education is in many ruler areas, given to different reasons, girl drop-out rate in schools is alarming. Government needs to launch a full-fledged campaign to make people aware about the benefits of schooling of their daughter. Today’s daughter is tomorrow’s mother and an educated mother would definitely be a corner-stone of an educated future generation.
Of late the government here and on the national level has being doing a lot to help provide women equal opportunity in all fields of the life. The reservation for women in recently held DDC elections is a positive development that would help women to assume the leadership role. Women will be made partners in all the developmental schemes and their inputs and expertise would undoubtedly make the developmental schemes more people-centric. However, all steps to strengthen the women will be of no value unless men – fathers, husbands, brothers – encourage the women in their lives, appreciate their talents and treat them on an equal level. The day parents decide to invests in daughter’s education they way they are always ready to fund son’s education, things will change for the good. While government should be appreciated for launching women-centric schemes, the society needs to gear up to pitch in too. Mind sets have to change, attitudes have to change and once that is done, we will have a healthy society where men and women will be contributing for the betterment of all with hand-in-hand.
