SHILLONG: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign (save daughter, educate daughter), Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma stressed on the need for creation of better educational infrastructure for girls.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Sangma said that the comparatively low percentage of girls in the education sector is a matter of concern.
The State Government, Sangma said, has taken several initiatives to address the problem. He informed that the Government has established special schools and hostels for girls even as he admitted that there is an urgent need to rapidly add to the infrastructure.
Stating that poor access to higher education in rural areas leads to migration of girls to urban centres, the Chief Minister said that there was a need to create more hostels for women.
Meanwhile, he informed that the Government is introducing several higher education courses in rural areas and it has even introduced Science and Commerce classes in colleges in far flung areas of the State.
‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ is a key scheme that aims to address the dipping child sex ratio and empower the girl child in the country.
It aims to generate awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women. The scheme was initiated with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore.
According to Census data, Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years) in India was 927 girl children per 1,000 boys in 2001 which dropped drastically to 919 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. A 2012 UNICEF Report ranked India 41st among 195 countries. The Government also proposed Rs 150 crore to be spent by Ministry of Home Affairs on a scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities.
