Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 11: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that empowerment of women is key to solve various issues and build a healthy, progressive and prosperous society.
“Empowerment of women is key to solve various issues confronting them and evolving a mechanism to ensure their holistic development in the society. Growth will be lopsided if women are not fully under its focus,” Omar said, addressing beneficiaries of UMEED, a scheme for empowerment of women, at Chenani in Udhampur district.
He said his Government is fully aware of women’s issues and various measures have been initiated in this direction besides effecting reservation of women in Panchayats.
The Social Welfare and Health Departments were implementing schemes for the women in the State, he said.
Under UMEED, nine lakh women of poor and vulnerable rural households would be empowered economically and socially, he said.
“We have targeted to organise 90,000 women savings and credit based Self-Help Groups and their federations at village and block levels to address their socio-economic problems and empower them to overcome all difficulties,” he said and added that under a phased approach, 143 blocks and 4,098 gram Panchayats would be covered under the UMEED programme in the next five years.
He said eight districts are being covered in the first year and 14 districts in the second year.
The Chief Minister said UMEED would provide the most needed platform for universal social mobilisation of the poor women and put them on the path of economic recovery and redemption from poverty.
He said Lar in Ganderbal, Khan Sahib in Budgam, Chenani in Udhampur and Basohli in Kathua have already been brought under UMEED as Resource Blocks while 121 Blocks will be covered by Community Resource Persons from the Resource Blocks.
The estimated outlay for UMEED is Rs 755 crore with Centre providing 90 per cent of the amount. An amount of Rs 248 crore will be made available to Self-Help Group members as seed capital in five years.
The Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the pace of progress of UMEED and hoped that the programme would get further fillip in the coming years.
“I have witnessed the enthusiasm and bravery in the women of Jammu and Kashmir, and the fast progress of UMEED and dedication of its members and the Government officials associated with it is indicative of the bright success of this programme in the State,” he told UMEED members and wished them success and progress.
Omar assured his Government’s full support for further strengthening the UMEED programme in the State.
He said people want dynamism and prompt service delivery from the Government.
“We have galvanised the administration accordingly and made service delivery time-bound besides giving authority to the people to ask questions about various schemes, financial status and nature of implementation,” he said.
Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar also addressed the gathering.
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