Budgam, Jan 14 (KNS): Health Officials at central Kashmir’s district Budgam have taken an oath for working to “end discrimination” towards women in the area under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign, an awareness plan against female foeticide launched across the State.
According to health officials, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health Services, Kashmir and district administration have launched various segments of the campaign to reach out to the people of the district.
Earlier a seminar- cum-workshop on ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojna’ (BBBP) was held at Sheikh-ul-Alam Hall of district Budgam in which a large number of health workers, senior citizens and general public participated.
The programme was jointly organized by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health Services, Kashmir and district administration.
BBBP scheme is a joint initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Aiming to ensure survival, protection and empowerment of the girl child, it is being implemented in 100 selected districts low in Corporate Social Responsibility, covering all States and Union Territories. The seminar was attended by about 300 people including locals, Divisional Commissioner (DC, Budgam), District Tuberculoses Officers, CMO, paramedical staff, ‘Ashas’ and all officials from health and information sectors of the all the medical blocks.
The officials delivered lectures discussing the scheme. Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Mir Altaf Ahmad laid emphasis on the ‘equal rights of women’ and urged people to bring change on the grassroots. He said the scheme has shown encouraging results in reversing the declining sex ratio in the district which now has improved to 972 women per thousand males. He directed the officials of the health department to collaborate with the department of education and other agencies to generate awareness among people for better implementation of the scheme.
He said that people need to be made aware of the importance of women empowerment. He said, “Awareness is needed at the grassroots. Even our religions teach us to empower women.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel”
The campaign also included a detailed cultural and street shows and poetry session presented by noted theatre artist Nazir Josh aka ‘Ahad Raaz’ and prominent satirist Ayoub Sabir. They would be reaching out to the various areas of the district.
Lauding the role of the department of Health’s initiatives, a resident of Budgam, Altaf Hussain at said that the scheme assumes the need for empowerment and growth of women.
“Here (Budgam) the literacy rates are lowest. Women section is particularly deprived of the basic right to education,” said Hussain. “The scheme needs to be implemented in letter and spirit. It must be given the utmost importance,” he added.
In November, 2015, Chief Minster, Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Syed launched another scheme, ‘Ladli Beti’, to provide social security to girls born in low-income families.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tehmeena Bukhari, who is supervising the campaign, said that that they have initiated to implement the scheme across the district. She said that they were involving civil society members, senior citizens and religious scholars to take forward the scheme.
“It’s a good scheme for women. Rs 1000 per month will be added to the accounts of girls till they reach age 14. It amounts to about Rs. 5 lakh that will help them at the time of their marriage,” she said.
“The government has recently implemented ‘Ladli Beti’ scheme across the State. We are deliberating upon it to spread the movement across the district,” she added.
Chief Medical Officer, Budgam, Dr. G M Dar said they were enthusiastic to see the better results out of the ‘Save Girl Child’ campaign. “We have devised all the scheme work to see te better results into it,” Dar said.
Pertinently Prime Minister Narrender Modi had said on the launching day the campaign asked people to follow noted Urdu poet Khwaja Altaf Hussein Hali and called for a collective drive against female foeticide. “Hali was born in Panipat (1837-1914) and known for his far-sighted vision on women rights,” the PM had said. (KNS)