Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women has started a seven-day martial arts training programme for girls in government schools from here on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had stressed on importance of martial arts training for girls in the wake of rising cases of sexual assault in the state.
The training programme was today started in two government girls' schools at Munshi Pulia and Vikas Nagar areas here where girls in the age group between 15 to 19 years took part, the Commission Chairperson Zarina Usmani told PTI.
Usmani, who visited one of the colleges this morning, said that she asked the girls to learn it as an art form which would help them out not just today but also in future.
"The students of these schools belong to the families of limited resources and they are most susceptible to problems so we decided to target this group in equipping them with the know how of their safety," she said.
There are a total of nine government schools in Lucknow and after the completion of training in these two others would also be covered, Usmani said.
According to the chairperson, later these training modules would be taken to different districts of the state and the trainers would also be accompanied by the Commission members.
"Special commando technique in which even a 12-year-old girl can successfully counter a grown up man or a single girl can face some four to five youth has been worked out to equip girls to deal with any eventuality," martial arts expert Abhishek Yadav Abhi, who will give training said.
The module has been worked out using taekwondo, kung fu, judo, kick boxing and other martial arts techniques, he said.
Yadav said that the response of girls was "very good" and around 500 girl in one college and 400 in the other have shown immense enthusiasm.
Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had asked girls and women to come forward and get trained in martial arts and appealed to them to become self reliant for their safety and assured all the help from the government.
