Once infamous for female foeticide, Haryana celebrates birth of every girl child now: CM Khattar

Once infamous for female foeticide, Haryana now celebrates the birth of every girl child and today, there are 923 girls for every 1,000 boys in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said.

This has become possible because of the ''Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'' campaign, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Panipat on January 22, 2015, he has said.

''The state government, social organizations, khap panchayats, NGOs, and the education, women, and child development and health departments have made tireless efforts to improve the sex ratio in Haryana. Besides, police ensured strict action against those involved in female foeticide,'' Khattar said at a programme on Friday.

''It is only because of these dedicated efforts that today, there are 923 girls for every 1,000 boys in Haryana. In 2014, there were 871 girls for every 1,000 boys,'' he added.

Once infamous for female foeticide, Haryana now celebrates the birth of every girl child, he said.

Speaking at a state-level ''Samman Samaroh'' in Karnal, the chief minister honoured women who have made remarkable contributions in various fields, such as education, culture, defence, singing, medicine, social welfare, sports, aviation and mountaineering.

He honoured the women with the Sushma Swaraj Award, the Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award and the Kalpana Chawla Shaurya Puraskar.

He also gave away cash prizes to the deputy commissioners of Fatehabad, Ambala and Jind for an improvement in the sex ratio in their districts, according to an official statement.

The representation of women in the state police force has gone up from 6 percent in 2014 to 10 percent today, Khattar said, adding that the target is to take it to 15 percent in the coming years.

''They say that behind every successful man, there is a woman. My mother has played a big role in my success,'' he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said after he cleared his matriculation exams and wanted to study further, his father did not support him but his mother gave him Rs 300 for college admission.

''I dedicate my success to my mother. Had she not given me the money for further studies, I might not have reached this position,'' he added.

The chief minister also said International Women's Day should be celebrated as ''Mahila Samman Diwas''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)