I believe a female artist has a huge influence in shaping the future of humanity. And the development of human civilization is proof that their contribution has been incomparable, said the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Shri Manoj Sinha in his speech on International Women’s Day. Women artists have received a special gift and inspiration from nature to inspire and encourage, as well as to change the destiny of their families and keep the society united, LG added. That’s why I see women artists and artisans as key drivers of social and economic development. I want to say responsibly that the participation of women artists in the contemporary art field has further enriched the art world. They have also contributed to strengthening our cultural traditions. They have also achieved many new achievements in Jammu and Kashmir and are performing well in various fields of art. Be it painting, handicraft, handloom or any other field, women are being trained and made powerful by giving them financial support so that they can become independent not only economically but also socially. Rather, by becoming an agent of India’s overall development, women can contribute towards building a developed India. In the last ten-eleven years, our country has succeeded to a great extent in realising the resolution of women led development. It has been ensured that mothers and sisters will also have the most important role in the bright future of India. Be it painting or handicraft, apart from this, the development taking place in different sectors also clearly shows that women empowerment has become the most important priority of the country today. Mahadevi Verma wrote in her poem: नारी! तुम केवल श्रद्धा हो विश्वास-रजत-नग पगतल में पीयूष-स्रोत-सी बहा करो जीवन के सुंदर समतल में This is our tradition, LG Manoj Sinha stated. Around 11 crore houses have been equipped with LPG cylinders under the Ujjwala Yojana. Many such mothers and sisters suffered from various diseases due to the effect of smoke. Such sisters have also benefited from the scheme. More than 14 crore tap water connections are proving to be a boon for our mothers and sisters today. There has been an effort in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that development takes place under the leadership of women. Necessary changes were made for this and in the last four-five years I can say that it has definitely been successful. And today I can say this with pride that Jammu and Kashmir is among the leading states in the country in women empowerment. Today more than 90000 loans have been approved to make women self-reliant. Self help groups have been established and eight lakh sisters are associated with the group. Six thousand nine hundred and seventy six organisations. Five hundred seventy four Village Personal Foundations have been established. More than 1.5 lakh self-help group households have been identified under the Lakhpati Didi scheme. Twenty-nine thousand sisters have been linked with the scheme. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Yojana has been successful in connecting 4 lakh 79 thousand women with integrated farming and livestock management. If you look at the population of Jammu and Kashmir comparatively, it is one percent of the population of the whole country. The sisters and children of Jammu and Kashmir are the ones who have set up the maximum number of units in BJP states. Around 5642 cooperative societies have been established in the handicraft and handloom sector. And efforts have been made to ensure maximum participation of women in this so that we can make this fundamental element of the Constitution a reality. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who contributed to make this program a success, said the J&K Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha. Hearty congratulations to all of you on International Women’s Day!