To mark the International Women’s Day, 35 women gram pradhans based in Dehradun district were felicitated with Mahila Swachchhata Champion Samman in recognition of their works in the field of cleanliness at Vikas Bhawan on Thursday. Those awarded include Neetu Juyal of gram panchayat Purkul, Sahaspur; Manisha of Sherpur, Vikasnagar; Reena Tomar of Haripur, Kalsi; Anita Devi of Ranipokhri, Doiwala; Babita Rana of Fanar, Chakrata and Rakhi of Bhopal Pani, Raipur. The programme was held under the aegis of district project management unit, Swajal project, Dehradun.
They recounted how they are moving while braving odds. One of the gram pradhans thus awarded said that the women are still facing obstacles both at home and the society. “Those who are self- motivated are coming forward to achieve their goals. The girls and the women need support from their near ones to stride ahead. The government-launched schemes are of course making things a bit easier,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief development officer Dehradun G S Rawat said that the women should come out to assert themselves without looking to their husbands and sons for support. “The women who have been awarded today have shown how they can make marks on life by sheer dint of their leadership skills in the fields of cleanliness, education, child development, construction works and the like in their respective gram panchayats. They have taken decisions on their own and moved ahead while successfully implementing the government projects,” he said. Joint magistrate Anuradha Pal (IAS) shared her experiences on the occasion and said that she had cracked IAS examination braving odds. “However, my mother played a significant role, helping me to rise up to the daunting challenge,” she said.