Minister for Rural development Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice Abdul Haq Khan on Tuesday said that the biggest success of UMEED scheme in the state is that it has boosted the self esteem and self confidence of women folk especially living in rural areas. The Minister said this while having an interaction with the members of Self Help Groups in Marh block of Jammu. He was accompanied by MLA Marh Sukhnandan Kumar, Mission Director JKSRLM Bakshi Javaid Humayun, Additional Mission Director Kapil Sharma and other senior officers of the department.While interacting with the women members of SHGs formed under JKSRLM’s UMEED scheme, Abdul Haq said the scheme has not only helped the women to earn their livelihood and contribute in the family income but has also boosted their morale, self esteem and self confidence so much so that they are now actively participating in decision making process in their villages. He said during his interaction with members of SHGs, they not only raised the issues of their own SHGs but also the issues of public interest of their respective villages thus showing keen concern in the development of their areas.
Minister hoped that women will actively participate in upcoming Panchayat polls and be part of the democratic set up. He said women should not rely on the 33 percent reserved seats as they are also capable of fighting on other seats as well.Abdul Haq said the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is keen to improve the living condition of women folk and make them self reliant and in this regard serious efforts are being made to uplift the status of women folk in society. He said making women economically self sufficient is the first step in this regard.He said the government is taking all steps to assist the SHGs to grow besides effective and decentralized marketing of SHG products. MLA Sukhnandan Kumar also spoke on the occasion and praised the efforts of the government in empowering the women folk. He said Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is personally monitoring the performance of all those schemes aimed to empower the women. He said UMEED scheme has already brought great hope for poor women in not only to come out of poverty but also raise their status within the communities as the scheme is aimed to provide better livelihood facilities to the women particularly in rural areas by showing them a sustainable path to capital. Earlier, the women interacted with the Minister and narrated their success stories. They also thanked the Minister for enrolling Marh block under UMEED scheme as it helped them to earn their livelihood and contribute in the family income.