Excelsior Correspondent
NAGROTA, Mar 29: Underscoring the need for holistic empowerment of rural women, Provincial President and MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana today called for social mobilisation to ensure their economic self-reliance.
“Being workaholic and dedicated, women can play a huge role in supplementing their family earnings by taking up various avocations”, Mr Rana said during his visit to a mega tailoring centre at Dhok Waziran in Nagrota Assembly Constituency. In all, 100 women are working at the Centre and earning handsomely by pursuing career in tailoring.
Impressed by the working at the Centre, Mr Rana announced Rs 10 lakh out of his Constituency Development Fund for creating additional accommodation and necessary wherewithal to enlist 100 more women. He released the funds for construction of 15X30 air-conditioned hall for which the land will be provided free of cost by the local Panchayat. In addition 50 sewing machines, one automatic cutter and a steam press will also be made available to the Centre. Mr Rana also instructed for providing one water cooler for the working women.
He expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the Centre and hoped that its intake capacity will be taken to 1,000 within five years.
Describing the initiative as a success story, the Provincial President exuded confidence that this will inspire others to emulate. He said larger participation of women in self-help groups and other pursuits will transform the rural scenario and assured all help in such pursuits.
Later, Mr Rana inspected pace of progress on various developmental works in the area. These include construction of a community hall, road upgradation, construction of deep drains being carried out by the Urban Local Bodies Department. He also took stock of the work on Sulab Sochalaya at Nagrota.
Meanwhile, Mr Rana made a fervent appeal to Governor Mr N N Vohra for regularising 23,711 casual, temporary and need based workers of the Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control Departments, who have been agitating for fulfilment of their rightful demands for a long.
“The delay in regularation is not only jeopradising their career but also impacting the water supply across the region”, Mr Rana said while addressing the protesters at BC Road here this afternoon.
He said the regularisation of various categories of workers had been considered by the cabinet in June 2014 during the tenure of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister but could not be implemented timely due to Model Code of Conduct. He said the cases pertained to those engaged by various Chief Engineers and Heads of Departments till January 31, 1994.
Mr Rana hoped that the Governor will appreciate the urgency of the matter, as public is suffering at large due to agitation of PHE workers, and take early appropriate decision with regard to their regularisation.