Udhampur, Feb 28: Rattan Lal Gupta, Provincial President Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Wednesday said the party stands strongly committed to the empowerment of women.
This stands proved by the measures taken by the NC government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Gupta said while addressing a daylong Women Convention of the party held here. The convention was organised by Sunil Verma, District President JKNC Udhampur and the meeting was presided over by Sunita Mehra, District President JKNC Women Wing District Udhampur.
Rattan Lal Gupta was the chief guest on the occasion while Abdul Ghani Malik senior NC leader and former Minister was the guest of honour.
At the very outset, the district president Sunil Verma and Sunita Mehra apprised the senior NC functionaries about the problems being faced by the people in general and women folk in particular.
Rattan Lal said that keeping up its commitment to women’s empowerment, the National Conference supported the Women Reservation Bill in the Parliament. He said the NC has always provided a platform for women to grow politically, economically and socially.
“It was during Dr Farooq Abdullah’s chief minister tenure that his government reserved 50 per cent medical seats in medical colleges for the daughters of J&K,” he said.
The senior NC leader asserted that the party is committed to ensuring equality of women at all levels be it political, educational, economic, technological or social empowerment and it will continue to raise issues of discrimination and prejudice against womenfolk of Jammu and Kashmir. He accused the incumbent BJP government at the Centre and the Union Territory Administration of doing nothing for womenfolk except providing mere lip service due to which the women in J&K have been at the receiving end during the present regime.
Pitching strongly for a bigger role for women in shaping the destiny of the society, the former minister and Zonal President Udhampur Reasi, Abdul Ghani Malik said that their presence in the democratic institutions could serve as the best catalyst of change for the women of this Union Territory.
Senior NC leader and former MLA, Bimla Luthra, in her address, strongly condemned the incumbent government for its “failure on all fronts”. “The benefits of the government schemes were not reaching the deserving poor womenfolk due to corruption and nepotism is prevalent at all levels. The government is wholly and solely responsible for this sordid state of affairs in the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory,” she alleged.
Senior NC leader Pradeep Bali and Youth Leader Akash Verma urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to support the National Conference leadership in the upcoming polls, stating that it is time to strengthen the hands of Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah to form a government that is people-centric and considerate towards the problems of the common man.
Member DDC Dansal Mrs Shamima Begum and Vijay Lakhshmi Datta Sr. leader also spoke in the convention and stressed the rural women folk to work unitedly for the upliftment of women folk in rural areas.
