Why do we celebrate National Girl Child Day on Jan 24?
The theme of this year’s National Girl Child Day is ‘Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow’
Hyderabad: National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on January 24 in India. It was started in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to raise awareness about the issues facing girls, such as lack of education, child marriage, and gender discrimination. The theme of this year’s National Girl Child Day is ‘Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow.’
The day is all about promoting equal opportunities for girls, making sure they have access to good health and education, and encouraging their empowerment. It also aims to celebrate girls’ achievements and inspire a future where they are treated with the same respect and given the same chances as boys. This is to focus on the rights and well-being of girls. It is important to create awareness about girls’ education, respect and treat them without any discrimination.
Girls today are excelling in fields. The government must focus on, gaining opportunities in every aspect, and this should continue to make bigger achievements. Especially, parents should give all the possible encouragement and support to perceive and achieve the goals of their daughters.
Some of the initiatives by the government for the well-being of girl child include:
Beti Bachoa Beti Padhao: The Scheme was launced on Jan 22 2015 to address the declining child sex ratio among other.
Udaan: Launced in 2014 by the Central board of Secondary Education, it is aimed at addressing the low enrollment of girl students in prestigious engineering instutions and bridging the gap between school education and engineering education examination.
Scheme for adolescent girls: Provides nutrituional support to out of school girls in the age group of 11-14 years for improving their nutritional status.
National scheme of incentives to girls for secondary education: Launched in May 2008, this scheme aims to enhance educational opportunities for girls, particularly those from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities
Scheme for promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in rural India: This scheme focuses on enhancing menstrual hygiene practices for girls aged 10-19 in rural areas, as part of a broader approach to Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health since 2011.
Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme: The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015, as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.
Child Protection Services Scheme: Under this scheme, institutional care is provided through Child Care Institutes (CCIs), as a rehabilitative measure for supporting children in difficult circumstances.
Poshan Abhiyaan: Launched on 8th March 2018 aims to address malnutrition issues across the nation through components like ICT Application, Convergence, Community Mobilization, Behavioural Change & Jan Andolan, Capacity Building, Incentives and Awards, and Innovations.
National Girl Child Day reminds us of the importance of creating a society where girls can succeed and achieve their goals without obstacles.
