Dimapur, Jan. 23 (EMN): Members of the State Resource Centre for Women visited the maternity ward of Naga Hospital in Kohima on Jan. 23 to “felicitate” mothers and girl children as part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Week in commemoration of the National Girl Child Day 2019. The event was undertaken in collaboration with Nagaland State Social Welfare Board and the Directorate of Social Welfare, a press release from the organisers informed on Wednesday.
‘Gifts were given to both the girls and all the mothers with a message that the girl child is a blessing and today even the government is doing its best to celebrate the life of the girl child,’ the note stated. ‘As one of the officials recounted that during her child’s delivery they had made a lot of preparations but there were incidents of mothers who were unable to bring even the basic need of their child because of poverty. Through this scheme she emphasized that though the action is small may it send ripples in the society to welcome every child with love and gladness.’ This program was initiated to celebrate the girl child, encourage the parents to bring up their children “at par with the boys,” and to promote security and education of the girl child, the update stated.
The National Girl Child Day, a day that is dedicated especially for the girl child in India, was initiated in the year 2008 by the ministry of Women and Child Development as a national girl’s development mission. Each year, on the 24th of January, it is celebrated as a national observance day to create awareness among all the people about the importance of girl’s overall development and well-being and to offer new opportunities to the girl child in the society.
‘This day is observed so that there is increased awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in the society including inequality in education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection, honour killing, child marriage to name a few,’ a brochure from the State Resource Centre for Women explained.
