SHILLONG: Swasth Balika Swasth Samaj (Healthy girl child- healthy society) progamme was held under the banner of Swasth Bharat Yatra at Shillong College on Wednesday.
The programme held as an initiative of Swasth Bharat (Trust) in collaboration with the Swacch Bharat Cell and NCC, NSS, Red Cross Society of Shillong College, saw a discussion on the concept of health, the importance of being healthy.
Three social activists-Ashutosh Kumar Singh, chairman of Swasth Bahrat Trust, and members of the trust-Prasun Latant and Vinod Kumar Rohilla traveled length and breadth of the country covering 16,000 kms and visited 18 states to create awareness on the health of a girl child.
When asked about the notion of remembering the Quit India Movement, Ashutosh Kumar Singh said, “The Quit India Movement was to free India from British and now we should set Indian girls free from diseases.”
Singh told a section of the reporters that Meghalaya is the 19th state and from here they will move to Silchar and other places.
The activists are on a journey to spread the message of making girls more vocal especially of their diseases and their problems.
“We have interacted with over 80,000 girls across the country and found that girls above the age of 15 usually do not speak much. Girls should speak and they should learn to communicate,” Singh said.
While an interaction with girls from Guwahati, they were informed that there is a need to set up separate toilets and separate playgrounds.
When asked on the custom that does now allow Indian women to speak much or take part in decision making, he said, “Times have changed and we cannot suppressed girls.”
Singh has called for collaboration of civil societies with the government to eradicate social evil like dowry system, female infanticide and other crimes, although, he maintained that the new generation are striving to eliminate dowry system.
The three activists, who are also journalists, wanted to look at social issues from a journalists’ standpoint. They interacted with the students of Shillong College encouraging them to speak out. They pointed out that nearly half of the girl child is anaemic and underweight and less importance is given to their outdoor activities as young girls are expected to remain indoors.
Singh, Lutant and Rohilla will travel to all the 28 states of the country and settle in Delhi.
