Indore: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday launched an ambitious campaign to
save the girl child and called for a change in mindset to end
discrimination against girls and improve sex ratio.
'Beti Bachao Abhiyan' (Save Girl Child Movement) aims
to create awareness through social and religious groups,
eradicate sex determination tests and introduce strict laws to
curb female foeticide.
Chouhan performed 'pad pujan' (feet worship) of girls
selected from all religions before launching the programme at
a public function here.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister announced he will
undertake a day-long 'beti bacho yatra' from Datiya to Sevadha
as part of an awareness drive to contain female foeticide.
The MP Ministers would take part in the awareness
programme after Diwali, Chouhan said.
The Government would launch a scheme to provide
incentives and pensions to the couples having only girl child
so they have a comfortable life in the old age, he said.
Those indulging in crime against girls/women would be
severely punished, and law would be strengthen to check sex
determination tests at diagnostic centres, the CM said.
There was an urgent need to make people aware both in
villages and urban centres so that they change their mindset
and adopt positive attitude towards 'beti, bahan and maan'
(daughter, sister and mother), Chouhan maintained.
The gender gap was widening in MP, where the sex ratio
has fallen from 932 (for every 1,000 male child in 2001) to
912 now. There were certain districts where men were unable to
get married due to gender gap, he added.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, October 05, 2011, 22:46