Tanakpur: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami celebrated women’s self-confidence, entrepreneurship, and traditional skills by participating in the “Chief Minister’s Empowered Sisters Festival” held at Chhinigoth in Tanakpur on Thursday.
Upon arriving at the event, the Chief Minister expressed his delight at the enthusiasm of women and daughters. He said, “Only with the participation of women will the dream of a ‘developed Uttarakhand’ be realized. The state government is not only supporting women but is also committed to empowering and making them self-reliant.”
Chief Minister Dhami visited various live stalls at the festival site and experienced the labor and skills of women firsthand. He not only visited the exhibition but also personally participated in the women’s activities, inspiring them.
Chief Minister Dhami visited a stall and participated in the traditional process of making buttermilk with the women. He said that traditional foods are linked to both our culture and health, and connecting them to the market in a modern way is the need of the hour.
Visiting a stall of women engaged in electrical work, the Chief Minister embodied the mantra of “Vocal for Local” by soldering Diwali lights with the women. He said, “Women are no longer just consumers, but are becoming producers and entrepreneurs—this is the true picture of a self-reliant India.” The Chief Minister called for purchasing more products made by women on Diwali.
Appreciating agriculture-based activities, the Chief Minister also assisted the women in pounding paddy in the mortar. He said that traditional agricultural practices and handmade foods are now directly linked to health, tourism, and the rural economy. He described women’s contributions in this direction as the backbone of the state’s rural economy.
During the event, the Chief Minister tasted local cuisine and praised the products prepared by women’s groups. He said that in the future, such festivals will be organized in every district of Uttarakhand to provide market links for women’s products.
The Chief Minister distributed “Mahalaxmi Kits” to beneficiary women, run by the Women and Child Development Department. He then personally fed the children Bal Bhog and had a heartfelt conversation with them. The Chief Minister said, “Every child should be healthy and educated—this is the first condition for a strong society.” He praised the contributions of Anganwadi workers and assistants, saying they are the strongest link in making the nutrition campaign and elementary education successful at the grassroots level.
At the women-run iron industry stall, Chief Minister Dhami personally operated the spinning wheel, heated the furnace, and participated in the iron product manufacturing process. He said that this sector can also serve as an example of women’s technical proficiency and self-reliance.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is providing all possible financial, technical, and marketing support to women’s groups to advance in collective enterprises, product manufacturing, transportation services, and handicrafts.
He said, “Only through women’s empowerment will the state become strong. Only when sisters become self-reliant, will Uttarakhand become self-reliant.”
Dhami said, “Women are power, you are the smile of the universe; only when women are empowered will Uttarakhand prosper.” Extending his Diwali greetings to everyone in advance, he said, “Women are the embodiment of Goddess Lakshmi; their empowerment empowers the family, society, and nation.”
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Women are Narayani” mantra, he said that the central and state governments are continuously working for the welfare of women. Women have been empowered through schemes like Ujjwala, Jan Dhan, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and the Nari Shakti Vandan Act.
He said that more than 500,000 women are engaged in self-employment through approximately 70,000 self-help groups in the state, of which 1.65 lakh have become “Lakhpati Didi.”
The Chief Minister said that the government has implemented 30 percent reservation for women in government services and has achieved historic progress in protecting women’s rights by implementing the Uniform Civil Code.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is completely dedicated to the respect, security and self-reliance of the youth, mothers and sisters. He appealed to the women power to participate in building a self-reliant Uttarakhand by making the mantra of ‘local for vocal’ a mass movement.
State Minister of State rank Shyam Narayan Pandey, District President Govind Samant, State General Secretary Mukesh Kalkhudiya, District Panchayat President Anand Adhikari, Block Chief Anchala Bohra, District Panchayat Member Saraswati Chand, Municipal Council President Champawat Prema Pandey, Tanakpur Municipal Council President Vipin Kumar, Banbasa Nagar Panchayat President Rekha Devi, District Magistrate Manish Kumar, Superintendent of Police Ajay Ganpati, Chief Development Officer Dr. GS Khati along with various public representatives, departmental officers, dignitaries and thousands of people were present in the program.
