National Girl Child Day: Key Initiatives Taken Across The Country

Bhubaneswar: “ If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate an entire family.” As we celebrate National Girl Child Day today, the words of Mahatma Gandhi assumes significance when we speak of empowering the girls in the country.

The Central Government has undertaken various initiatives to promote girls’ education to empower them. To prevent gender biased sex selective elimination, protection of the girl child have been the prime goal of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ initiative under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the occasion of the National Girl Child Day, Odisha has released communication package to intensify actions for addressing various forms of discrimination and violence against girls and women.

The communication package has a set of animated videos and posters with #TikiMausi, the mascot of the Department and is developed in collaboration with @UNFPAIndia.

It is aimed at creating awareness and to change the mindset of the community with respect to women’s rights. pic.twitter.com/fXLXPGdWZm

— Department of WCD & MS, Govt. of Odisha (@WCDOdisha) January 24, 2021

Here’s a quick look on the initiatives taken by Centre, State governments across the country:

-The Ministry of Education has launched the Samagra Shiksha - An Integrated Scheme for encouraging girls' education by incentivising the system to ensure greater enrolment.

- Out of the sanctioned 5726 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), 4886 KGBVs have been made operational with an enrolment of 6.07 lakh girls as on January 11, 2021.

-A total of 2410 KGBVs upgraded to Class XII

Self Defence Training For Girls

-Rs 13300.56 lakh estimated for 147784 elementary schools & Rs 7329.42 lakh estimated for 81438 secondary schools for Financial year 2020-21.

Initiatives under the leadership of Collectors/ Deputy Commissioners

- Establishment of Balika Manches (Hoshiarpur, Punjab): To empower girls in decision-making process

- Aao School Chalein (Sikar, Rajasthan): To ensure girls are enrolled in schools

- Umang-Ek Pahal (Jhajjar, Rajasthan): To provide adolescent girls with sanitary napkins for free to encourage them to pursue their education

- Padhengi Betiyan Badhega Desh (Dehradun, Uttarakhand): Girls re-enrolment programme in government/private schools

- Bouquet Nahi Book Dijiye ‘Talk With DM’ (Burhanpur district): Child protection and adolescent Empowerment dialogue series

- Career Counselling for girls (Sirsa, Haryana): To guide girl child in selection of career choices

- Wings to fly (Diu,Daman & Diu): To empower girls by giving them an opportunity to explore the Indian Air Force as a career choice

In a historic move, the @EduMinOfIndia has launched the Samagra Shiksha - An Integrated Scheme for encouraging girls' education by incentivising the system to ensure greater enrollment. #DeshKiBeti pic.twitter.com/sw29E1scW8

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) January 24, 2021