Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma flagged off a cross-country motorbike expedition by ‘Yashaswini’, a group of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) women bikers from Shillong today.
The CRPF, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organising this bike rally to celebrate Nari Shakti (women power) in the country.
A total of 150 CRPF officers embarked on the rally divided into three teams.
Riding 75 Royal Enfield 350cc motorbikes, these teams started their journeys from the Northern (Srinagar), Eastern (Shillong), and Southern (Kanyakumari) regions of India.
They will all converge at the Statue of Unity (which is ironically of a man, namely Vallabhbhai Patel) in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, scheduled for October 31, 2023, the birth anniversary of Patel.
The rally will cover approximately 10,000km, passing through 15 states and two Union territories. Throughout their respective journeys, in many districts en route various events have been planned, including interactions with the target groups of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” (BBBP) like school children and college girls, women self-help groups, cadets of the National Cadet Corps, adolescent girls and boys, anganwadi workers, etc, and felicitation of ‘BBBP champions’.
The expedition that left Shillong today will cover a total distance of 3,291km and traverse seven states.
Sangma said that the women warriors are second to none and that this particular event and expedition is another example of Nari Shakti.
The CM said that he had always believed that true development can only happen when “we are able to touch every life, when we are able to develop and take forward every individual, when we are able to bring in equality among genders and among communities.”
Meghalaya is ahead of the curve in terms of women’s rights because its native tribes are matrilineal, he asserted.
The Chief Minister also thanked and congratulated the Prime Minister and the central government for passing the historic Women’s Reservation Bill and said that women’s participation in walks of life is a must for their empowerment.
