Describing hands of Kashmiri women’s golden hands whose hand works have no parallel combination in the world, the Minister for Social Welfare and ARI Trainings Ms SakinaItoo, who is also the chairperson of Women Development Corporation (WDC) today urged upon the women folk to come forward and avail maximum benefit from various welfare schemes launched in the State for the upliftment and socio-economic empowerment of women belonging to socially and economically backward sections, adding that to provide skill development training, soft loan and permanent market support besides making them earn their livelihood with honour and dignity is among the priorities of the present government led by dynamic Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah.
The Minister said that while addressing a mega Awareness Camp-cum Loan Mela at Khimber organised by J&K State Women Development Corporation here on Thursday in which large gathering of women from Khimber, Mulfaaq, Burzuhama, Nagbal, Ghoos and other areas participated.
On the occasion, the Minister distributed Rs 1 crore among 76 beneficiaries including Rs 84.5 lakh under NMDFS, 1 lakh under NBCFDC, 4.5 lakh under NHFDC and Rs 10 lakh under SKEWPY. She also announced that two training centres of WDC and Social Welfare will be established in the area where women of the locality will be imparted skill development training and after completing training soft loans will be provided to them for establishment of their own income generating units.
Ms Itoo said that women of our State are talented and have proven their mettle in all the fields of life and need proper guidance and counselling. She appreciated the efforts of WDC for boosting the women folk by providing appropriate platform to exhibit skill development potential so that they become self-reliant.
The Minister urged upon the management of WDC to organise such awareness camps in far-flung and backward areas of the State and take steps to reach out to large number of women beneficiaries with missionary zeal. She said that corporation should carry out its activities aimed at the welfare and development of women folk.
Lauding the contribution of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah for reserving 50 per cent quota for women , the Minister said that our government has always taken revolutionary steps for the upliftment, socio-economic development of women besides making them legally, economically, politically empowered. She said awareness camps are aimed at to educate the women about their rights and acquaint them with the welfare schemes so that they know how to lead towards prosperity and development.
The Managing Director, WDC, Dr Nahid Soz in her welcome address said that these awareness camps provide opportunity to sensitise the women and create confidence and awareness among them regarding women status, health, nutrition, education, sanitation, hygiene, legal rights, economic upliftment and other social, economic and political issues.
Director Social welfare, Mr. Farooq Ahmad Khan, Executive Director, Rehabilitation Council, Mtr. HafeezaMuzaffar, officers of Social Welfare, WDC, Education, Health and other departments were also present on the occasion.