Rakib Altaf
BUDGAM: The heir-apparent of India’s ruling Congress party, Rahul Gandhi today launched an ambitious scheme for poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment in strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir.
The “UMEED” (meaning Hope) aims at creating more than 90,000 self help groups engaging 9 lakh women. The scheme involves an amount of Rs 750 Crores.
Gandhi drove to the valley’s central Budgam district where he addressed nearly 600 women and offered them economic and logistic support to address their financial challenges.
“The holistic development of the society is not possible without the active participation of women. The faster growth and eradication of poverty in the States like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra is because of the empowerment of women and their active participation in development programmes,” he said.
“We can provide you every sort of help but you have to work yourselves to achieve goals of welfare, social justice and development.”
Gandhi was flanked by the state’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh and President of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee and Member Parliament, Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz besides others.
Later at a brief press conference, he parried no questions but declined to comment on the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Chief Minister Abdullah has been demanding the revocation of this act from parts of the valley, but it has yielded no positive response so far from New Delhi.
“It is a discussion between the chief minister and the Prime Minister. It is not appropriate for me to make a statement,” Gandhi said.
But he said the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was successful in creating “a cordial atmosphere” in the valley, where tens of thousands have died since an armed conflict erupted in the late eighties.
“Things like tourism have improved. I want to create a cordial relationship (with Kashmiris) forever. It will take time, nothing can be done in a single day.”
“Our focus is on how we can involve Kashmiris, in the local government and how can we ensure that youngsters have jobs,” he added.
