Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena honoured seven women, including social workers and paralympians, at an event on Sunday.

Speaking at an all-women bike rally organised in the national capital, the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the women bikers were a symbol of empowerment. “You have proved wrong those who say women cannot do certain things,” she said.

“Shakti se Smriti’, this bike rally that has been organised, this is a thing of pride for women of Delhi. An incident had created fear in the minds of the daughters of Delhi. ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’, to give that feeling to people, this bike rally has been organised,” the Chief Minister said. Taking to X, Rekha Gupta said that such enthusiastic events not only increase enthusiasm and positivity, but also prove to be a strong step towards self-reliance and progress.

“A new wave of self-reliance and enthusiasm on the streets of Delhi! Joined the All Women Bike Rally with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and experienced the vivacity, energy and confidence of the capital closely. Such enthusiastic events not only increase enthusiasm and positivity, but also prove to be a strong step towards self-reliance and progress. The zeal and enthusiasm of the people of Delhi made this event even more special!” she wrote on X.

The seven women who were honoured included Humaira Mushtaq, the first international car racer from Jammu and Kashmir; Divya Kakran, an Arjuna award-winning wrestler; Sweety Mehta, a domestic violence survivor, who established NGOs for women with similar struggles; Rekha Jindal, who works extensively in the field of drug rehabilitation; Nalini Asthana, who has dedicated herself to teaching computer to slum dwellers; Kanchan Lakhani, a para-athlete, and Neetu Chaudhary, a social worker.

The bike rally took off from Connaught Place at around 11 am on Sunday. Gupta said the event was being organised annually since 2013. “Before that, Delhi witnessed a major tragedy. Women should not live in fear, because victory lies beyond fear,” she said.

The CM also recalled that she used to ride a Kinetic scooter during her university years. Lieutenant Governor said the bike rally was a display of women’s courage. He emphasised that women in India are moving shoulder-to-shoulder with men. “In fact, in some areas, they are surpassing men. During the Delhi assembly elections, we witnessed that female voters were more than men,” he said.

“Our team is fully committed to making Delhi a developed and better city. We aim for a green, Viksit Delhi,” Chief Minister Gupta said.