Chandigarh

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to launch ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ programme in the state on January 22, Haryana government has decided to observe a holiday in all government and non-government schools on that day, an official said today.

The spokesperson said Modi would launch the national programme ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ from Panipat to sensitise people about the safety and education of girl child, skewed sex ratio, women empowerment and prevention of female foeticide.

He said that on the occasion, teachers and students would actively participate in various activities such as rally, competitions, speech, exhibition, among others, being organised at village, block, district and state level to sensitise the society about the declining sex ratio.

‘Haryana villages showing improvement in sex ratio to be rewarded’

Bhiwani, Haryana

The villages in Haryana which will show improvement in sex ratio would be rewarded and more grants for development would be given to them, the state government said today.

“We all have to make coordinated efforts to eradicate female foeiticide,” an official release quoting state Agriculture Minister Om Parkash Dhankar said.

Dhankar said this here while addressing a gathering on the occasion of a pledge-taking ceremony organised as a part of ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ awareness yatra, aimed at saving and educating the girl child.

The minister also advocated to develop a device to be fitted in the ultrasound machines as a tracker that would automatically send information about sex determination of unborn child to the health authorities.

“Maharashtra has already experimented on this,” he said and urged Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state Health Minister Anil Vij to take action in the direction.

“Also, stern action should be taken against the so called fertility centres operational in the state that guarantee birth of a boy child,” he said.

Dhankar called upon all ‘Khap panchayats’ or caste councils, social organisations and their representatives to initiate efforts at their own level to fight the menace of female foeticide.

During the past three days, Union and state ministers have flagged off awareness tours from different parts of Haryana, as part of the Centre’s ambitious ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme to improve the child sex ratio (CSR), which will be launched from Panipat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22.

The ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign would be implemented in 100 districts of the country, out of which 12 districts of Haryana with the lowest sex ratio have been selected.

The districts in Haryana are Mahendergarh, Jhajjar, Rewari, Sonepat, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Bhiwani and Panipat.

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