HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 29: The ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship inaugurated a five-day self-defense training – “Meri Suraksha, Meri Zimmedari” on Tuesday. The program has been organised by the Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Skills Council (SPEFL-SC) and witnessed the participation of more than 50 women. Notably, Mission Karmayogi’ by Narendra Modi is a one-of-a-kind initiative that focuses on capacity building while modernising the thinking and the approach of the government employees.
This self-defense program has been designed by SPEFL-SC based on the world’s best fighting systems like Krav Maga, Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, and others. The instructors are experts in teaching the world’s best techniques along with situational awareness. These techniques have been designed by combat experts with 15 years of experience, and are easy to learn and execute under threat.
While explaining the importance of such workshops, Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “Women’s safety is the government’s top priority, and with this self-defense program, we hope to encourage women to enroll in such training modules to protect themselves from any kind of assault or threat. The ministry is committed to establishing platforms where women can learn how to defend themselves from self-defense experts. Furthermore, it is critical to create a safer environment for women to ensure the safety and integrity of the country’s female workforce, and this is a small step in the right direction. We hope this pilot is a successful one and we can take these sessions to other ministries, departments, schools, and organizations in a more structured and outcome-based workshop.”
Commenting on the initiative, Tahsin Zahid, CEO, Sports, Physical Education, Fitness & Leisure Skills Council, said, “A safer environment for women is the need of the hour, initiatives like these are a step in the right direction. Self-defense should be encouraged among women to ensure that they are self-reliant when it comes to defending themselves in the event of a threat.”
One of the women employees commented, “Self-defence skills are vital for everyone, especially for working women like us. Knowing that we can defend ourselves makes us feel secure and self-reliant. It has been an enriching experience for all of us.”
The training program was inaugurated by Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, MSDE in the presence of Anuradha Vemuri, joint secretary, MSDE; Atul Kumar Tiwari, additional secretary, MSDE; Prabha Sharma, under secretary, MSDE and Tahsin Zahid, CEO, Sports, Physical Education, Fitness & Leisure Skills Council (SPEFL-SC).
