Meet the symbols of women empowerment

LUCKNOW: A seven-year-old visuallyimpaired Muslim girl who can recite the Bhagvad Gita, the first woman president of Allahabad University, an all-terrain driver, a martial arts expert who trains women to be self-dependent - all these and others symbolised women empowerment at the Rani Laxmi Bai Award distribution function on Tuesday. As the 31 acid attack survivors rubbed shoulders with 40 women gram pradhans representing the talent in the state’s rural landscape, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (on whose instance the function was organised) remarked, “Each one of you has a story to tell; each of you is a role model.” Akhilesh appreciated the fact that several women had come forward to contest the Panchayat elections in the state. “It’s good to see this but more of this needs to happen,” he said in what was understood as the CM’s indication of his party fielding higher number of women candidates in UP polls than in 2012. “It’s time that society, government and family all unite to help and support women,” he said as the four French women who had driven down from Noida to Lucknow in an auto to market the ‘UP is safe’ theme nodded in approval. The French women too were among those felicitated by the CM who said that his government would do everything to help women become selfdependent. “Some builders from Noida came to tell me that they have offered discount to women in a bid to encourage men to name property in the name of women. That’s a welcome step. I would like more people and businessmen to transfer half of the property in the name of women members,” he said as women clapped.