PANIPAT, Haryana : Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) campaign here today to spread awareness and stem the dipping child sex ratio in the country and empower girl child.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister said this was not a moment to blame anyone for discrimination and disparities and called for sensitivity towards the issue in society. He cautioned that the society was “inviting grave dangers” by ignoring the issue.
He said the programme may have started in Haryana but was a message for the entire country.
What will be the situation in the country if this continues… “If we have 1000 boys, we must have 1000 girls also,” he said while cautioning against dwindling sex ratio. “If we don’t have a daughter, how can we have a daughter-in- law ? he asked.
The Prime Minister also launched a ‘Sukanya Smridhi Yojana’ under which young girls below 10 years of age can open accounts in banks.
Five young girls were presented bank accounts. Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also released a postage stamp on the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ programme. Film Actress Madhuri Dixit, who has been made the Brand Ambassador of the campaign, also spoke at the function and called for equal rights for a girl child.
The function was attended by Union Ministers Maneka Gandhi, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and J P Nadda and hundreds of people braving winter chill and rains.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presented a logo depicting a girl child, on the campaign to the Prime Minister. The campaign is aimed at spreading awareness about girls’ education and curbing the practice of female infanticide, still prevalent in many parts of the country, including the host state Haryana.
This is the Prime Minister’s first visit to Haryana after the new government of Mr Khattar was sworn-in, heading the first BJP government in the state.
The campaign will also highlight the need to change people’s mindset towards a girl child, mainly in some villages, where people think of girls as a burden and resort to pre-natal sex determination tests, female infanticide or foeticide and other practices, which discriminate against a girl child. A nationwide campaign in 100 districts of the country will also be carried out under the programme, which will be implemented in 12 districts of Haryana, including Mahendergarh, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Rewari, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Kaithal, Bhiwani and Panipat.
The initiative is a Central government scheme, that aims at generating awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women.
The scheme was initiated with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore.
According to the Census, Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years) in India was 927 girl children per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 919 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. The Government also proposed Rs 150 crore to be spent by the Home Ministry on a scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities.
On the International Day of Girl Child, Mr Modi had called for eradication of female foeticide and invited suggestions from the people on ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ on the MyGov portal. The Prime Minister had, on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child, exhorted the people to pledge to create an atmosphere for equality for the girl child and to end the gender-based discrimination in the country.
The Prime Minister, in a emotional speech, regretted the discrimination at birth when a newborn girl was “drowned in a pot of milk” and was not even allowed to see the light of the day.
He said nobody should have the misconception that only sons can take care of parents in old age and if that was so, so many old age homes would not have opened. “Forget that only sons can take care of you in old age. Sometimes people think that a daughter belongs to the other family. But the reality is that whenever a girl goes, she enhances her parents prestige,” he added. “We have to come out of this sickness of discrimination between son and daughter. We must have the mantra of Beta-Beti Ek Saman (Boy and girl child are equal.” He said there were many examples when well-off sons did not take care of their parents but a girl child did. He said people wanted educated daughters-in-law but think several times before educating their daughters. “How can this go on…as a society we all have a responsibility. We have to be aware,” he said.
“Beta Beti Ek Samaan…this should be our Mantra,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the thought having a son only would take care of parents during your old age, was “incorrect.” “We do not have the right to kill the girl child,” he added. Referring to Ms Dixit, he said “Madhuri ji is here with us. Her mother is unwell but she is in Panipat. She is here with a message to save the girl child.”
About doctors who aborted girl child, he said whether their (doctors’) only concern was earning money. Doctors had a responsibility towards society and that was the real purpose of their education.
“We do not have the right to kill the girl child. People want educated daughters-in-law but think several times before educating our daughters. How can this go on,” the Prime Minister asked.
Referring to the ‘Sukanya Smridhi Yojana’, the Prime Minister said such a scheme would help in the education of a girl child and at the time of her marriage, she would have enough money in her
bank account that would help her.
The Prime Minister also administered an oath to the people against female infanticide and said society had a responsibility to stop the malpractice.
“As a society we all have a responsibility. We have to be aware,” the Prime Minister said while cautioning against the dangerous consequences.
He said it was important to spread the message in the entire country.
Earlier, Ms Gandhi said birth of a girl child must be celebrated.
(AGENCIES)
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