PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Rural Development and Agriculture minister Ganesh Joshi distributed smart mobile phones to 42 Pashu Sakhi and agricultural assistants, along with labour-reduction equipment to 1,575 rural women in Dehradun on Friday. This distribution was part of the Rural Enterprise Acceleration Project (REAP), organised by the Rural Development department of Uttarakhand.
Importantly, under this project, selected women from six development blocks in Dehradun district received training. After which smart mobile phones were provided to 26 Pashu Sakhis from Dehradun and 16 from Haridwar. Additionally, agricultural equipment including spades, hoes, sprinkler systems and sprayers were distributed to 1,575 rural women associated with 45 village organisations across eight cluster-level federations in Dehradun district.
During the event, Joshi emphasised that the State government is continuously working to empower farmers at the grassroots level, including agricultural and livestock farmers. He said that rural women involved in self-help groups are doing excellent work and are playing a leading role in the “Lakhpati Didi” campaign. He said that labour-reducing devices will decrease women’s workload, save time and enhance their economic status. The smart mobile phones provided to Pahsu Sakhi will also improve livestock farmers’ access to 24-hour health services for their animals, she said.
Additional secretary of Rural Development and project director Jharna Kamthan said that the REAP project is playing a crucial role in empowering rural women and making them self-reliant. The labour-reduction devices introduced will help increase their income and mitigate migration.
