Mukatsar, 11 January :Founder patron of `Nannhi Chhaan’ Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said that she will request Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal to reward the village panchayts that will took initiatives to lower the difference in sex ratio and plant maximum trees for environmental protection by issuing special grants and announced that organization will also honor these. Mrs. Badal was addressing a massive public rally organized by organization and Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandak Committee here day before Maghi Mela. Thousands of women from the area attend this rally. Before, she and her husband S. Sukhbir Singh Badal planted a sapling in the premises of Gurudwara ‘Tuti Gandi Sahib’.
Mrs. Badal also requested state government to provide aid of Rs. 15000 as fixed deposit to financially week parents of newly born girl child instead of giving it at the time of her marriage. She said it will help them to utilize the money for girl’s education and make her competent. She also stress on the need of vocational education for women so that they can become able to stand on their own. Mrs. Badal praised SGPC President S. Avtar Singh for making a wing to educate people against social sins like female feticide, drugs etc. and motivating them to plant more and more trees.
Highlighting the twin issues of protecting the girl child and environment, Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated that where on one hand declining tree cover a great environmental concern is; on other hand female feticide is grown into a major social curse. She said that there is great need of putting effective steps to tackle with both of these issues. Harsimrat Kaur said that there would be serious demographic imbalances in Punjab’s society in the future and declining tree cover is also a cause of great environmental concern as it would make our development ecologically unsustainable. She said female foeticide had badly hit the social structure and the sex ratio had got upset. This would create serious problems in days to come if corrective measures were not taken immediately. She said it was a sin to indulge in feticide as the Sikh Gurus were strictly against such actions. She said that now there is an urgent need to mainstream both these issues and to take them to the common man through well-directed initiatives.
Speaking on the occasion Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal said it was sad that Punjab led in female foeticide cases that had created an alarming situation. Asserting that dowry is the root cause of female feticide, Mrs. Badal appeals that society should get rid of this evil. He called for launching a crusade against foeticide and dowry and also stressed the importance of each person planting a tree. He said that this novel campaign was started with the blessing of Gurus and SGPC would go a long way in protecting the girl child and environment
Later addressing a press conference, Mr. Badal said that SAD-BJP government will start a women college in every district of state to promote women education. He said that he said that present infrastructure will be used in such an efficient way that government colleges and schools will be used for women education in the morning and for males at evening. He said that a number of schools will be chosen in every constituency for the purpose. Mr. Badal said that he this scheme will attract those parents for educating their daughters who hesitates to send their daughter in co-educated institutes. He gives emphasis to provide equal opportunities to women. He said that from coming year government is going to establish a Rs. 400 Crore revolving educational fund for upgrading schools and colleges of the state.
SGPC president S. Avtar Singh and MP Parmjeet Kaur Gulshan also address the huge gathering, whereas famous singer and SAD candidate for Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency in his unique style sing few lines of different to highlight objectives of ‘Nannhi Chhaan’.
The campaign ‘Nanhi Chhaan’ involves giving saplings of trees to women devotees coming to the holiest Sikh shrines to plant them in their homes with a pledge to help save the girl child and also the environment. Today, 1 lack saplings were distributed as ‘Buta Parsad’. The campaign is a joint venture between the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and Impact group.