Jan 24 declares as National Girl Child Day

January 24 will be celebrated as National Girl Child Day every year to create awareness about welfare and empowerment of girl child.

Minister for Women and Child Development, Renuka Chowdhary, announced on Monday, saying, empowerment of girls in real sense would change the face of society. Educated and healthy girls can play a very significant role in the overall development of the country.

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“A number of schemes and programmes have recently been launched by the government but these would yield desired results only when consciousness of the society is raised to treat the girl child as valued assets,” she asserted.

Releasing a special logo for the National Girl Child Day, the Minister emphasised the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, including recent restructuring of Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY), which aims to empower adolescent girls; National Nutritional Cash Transfer Scheme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG) to provide additional nutrition to underweight girls; Ujjawala, launched recently for prevention of trafficking and for rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked victims.

Apart from these initiatives, Renuka said the government has also started ‘Dhanlakshmi’ a Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme for girl child with Insurance cover in several parts of the country which will soon be extended to other parts. Short stay homes for women and girls have also been set up to provide shelter and other facilities for women and girl child in difficult circumstances, she added.

On the occasion, Renuka also launched projects for vocational training and skill upgradation for groups of adolescent boys and girls vulnerable to trafficking, partnered by Appparel Export Promotion council, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes and Joint Women’s Programme.

Vocational Training and skill upgradation for women self help groups from vulnerable communities in Haryana and training in para-medial care for economically weaker women partnered by industrial organisation were also launched by the Minister.

A number of programmes would be organized to commemorate the occasion on January 24, which will be culminating on March 8, the International Women’s Day.