Uttarakhand to launch self-employment scheme for single women: CM Dhami

Uttarakhand will soon roll out a self-employment scheme for single women, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Monday.

Women have proven themselves in every field and are working shoulder to shoulder with men, he said at the conclusion of Women Empowerment and Security Week here.

"Working through self-help groups, women in remote hill areas of the state are steering the rural economy. With their skills, they are also strengthening the economy of their homes," the chief minister added.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, steps such as linking 23 crore women to banks through Jan Dhan accounts have been taken across India, Dhami said.

From financial inclusion to social security, quality health care to housing, education to entrepreneurship, several steps have been taken in recent years to keep women at the forefront of India's development journey, the Uttarakhand chief minister said, adding that these initiatives will only gain momentum in the coming years.

Dhami also highlighted a legislation passed by his government to grant 30 per cent reservation in public services to women domiciled in Uttarakhand.

During Monday's event, the chief minister digitally transferred Rs 1.89 crore to beneficiaries of the Vatsalya Yojana, a scheme under which children who lost their parents or guardians during the COVID-19 epidemic will get financial assistance of Rs 3,000 per month till they turn 21.

Women Empowerment and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya said several programmes are being run by different government departments to socially empower women and added that they must come forward to avail themselves of the schemes.