The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu attended a civic reception hosted in her honour at Raj Bhavan, Srinagar this evening. Speaking on the occasion, the President thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the warm welcome on her first visit as the President of India. She was happy to note the presence of eminent personalities of Jammu and Kashmir who have made their mark in different fields.
She said that they have enhanced the reputation not only of this region but of the entire country. The President said that Kashmir has been a major centre of art, culture and education since ancient times. About 2000 years ago, the 4th Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir. Scholars believe that about 1300 years ago, in Srinagar, Shankaracharya had composed Saundarya Lahari and Ananda Lahari to describe the glory of Shakti. The words of Lal Ded and the advice of Sheikh Nooruddin are still showing the right path to humanity. Rulers like Zain-ul-Abidin promoted etiquette and spirituality.
Abhinavagupta who made amazing contributions in both the fields of religion and literature, had explained a very good principle of literature in the 10th century which proves to be true for every aspect of life. He had said that ‘Shanta Rasa’ is the source of all ‘Rasas’. The President emphasised that we have to continuously strengthen Jammu and Kashmir's legacy of considering peace and tranquility as supreme.
The President said that today's Kashmir is taking a new turn following its heritage. A new era of progress, peace and prosperity has begun. There has been a massive change in infrastructure development, e-governance, healthcare, housing, women empowerment, tribal outreach and inclusive development. She was happy to note that till September this year, about 1.7 crore tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir, which is a record.
In his welcome address, the Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha said, Hon'ble President's life has been inspirational. “She has devoted her life to empowering deprived sections of society and socio-economic empowerment of women, providing them confidence, sense of self esteem. Her vision and ideals will continue to guide the world's largest democracy,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor also highlighted the developmental journey of UT of J&K since August 2019. "Growth history of J&K since 2019 is an example of remarkable economic progress and inclusive development. Our focus is high growth rate, infra, industrialization, transforming cities and villages to improve the lives of the people. Well-being of all is our prime objective today.
We have been able to establish an exploitation-free, corruption-free and fear-free society that has ensured social equality and all sections of society are benefitting from the growth and development," the Lt Governor added. Earlier in the day, the President interacted with the members of local tribal groups and women Self Help Groups at Raj Bhavan, Srinagar.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that the Self Help Groups are playing an important role in the socio-economic empowerment of women in J&K and enabling them to take control of their lives. “Tribal communities in J&K were marginalized for a very long time. Government implemented Forest Rights Act, key reforms and initiatives have been taken for transformation of tribal society and our focus is on holistic development to provide new strengths and capabilities to the community,” the Lt Governor said.