CM Akhilesh honours Malalas of Lucknow
CM Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday felicitated 11 women, including acid attack survivors Meena Soni and Kavita, as part of the ‘Kanya Shiksha Aur Suraksha’ programme of the state government. The occasion was part of the Malala Day celebrations held across 16 districts of UP.
Life has been a battle, quite literally, for them.
Some have fought in their own homes, while the others have been victims of the society at large. Their tales of valour are no less than those of the brave Malala.
On Saturday, the efforts of 11 such Malalas of Lucknow were saluted at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here.
The women walked on the stage to be felicitated for their courage by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Part of the ‘Kanya Shiksha Aur Suraksha’ programme of the state government, the occasion was part of the Malala Day celebrations held across 16 districts of UP.
The women included Meena Soni and Kavita — both acid attack survivors, the Ashiana gang rape victim, Manorma Lal, who has taken the lead in sending children involved in begging to school and Nalini (name changed) another rape survivor.
They also included Sonia Singh, who teaches children at the railway station, Shah Jahan, who fought for the ration cards of women in her village, Bitana Devi, who initiated a dairy business from home to support the family, Mohini Srivastava, who has been fighting for her rights in the in-laws’ house for eight years, Arunima Singh, who climbed Mount Everest despite her disability and Sushma Verma, who is pursuing her post-graduation at the age of 14.
Saluting the courage of the women, the chief minister said, “The safety of women is prime on the agenda of the state and several initiatives have been taken in this regard. Expansion of 1090 women powerline, installation of CCTV cameras in Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Noida, setting up control rooms and deputing senior women police officials as part of the supervising team in cases related to women are some of the latest initiatives.”
Cabinet minister Rajendra Chaudhry said the state government was laying emphasis on women education to empower them.
Chief secretary Alok Ranjan talked about the various new initiatives, including the mobile app that would be launched soon for the safety of women.
Sixteen such felicitation programmes to honour women of substance have been held across 16 districts of UP.
The programme was organsied by Hindustan Hindi daily. KK Upadhyaya, senior resident editor, Hindustan, emphasised on enhancing security for women and motivating people to develop respect for women to ensure their better status in the society.
Rajat Kumar, business head, central and east UP, welcomed the guests and thanked all for making the initiative a success.