Pankaja Munde’s bid to back girl kids

Minister for women and child development Pankaja Munde has decided to boost the ‘Mazi Kanya Bhagyashree’ (My daughter Bhagyashree) scheme along the lines of the Jalyukta Shivar scheme. In a state with a skewed sex ratio, the scheme bids to give incentives to couples that give birth to girl children.

As per the 2011 Census, in Maharashtra, the child sex ratio was 894 girls to 1,000 boys.

“The scheme, which was launched in April 1 this year, did not gain as much success as it did not reach a large section of the society,” agreed a senior official from Ms Munde’s ministry. Hence, after several meetings with department officials and with support from colleagues in the Cabinet, Ms Munde has decided to re-launch the scheme as a mission on August 15.

“The department intends to take the scheme to the village level and a massive public awareness programme will take place,” said the official.

He added that the scheme is broadly divided into two parts: one for couples that have gone for family planning operation after the birth of their first girl child and second, for couples going for family planning operation after the birth of their second girl child. However, the scheme will not apply for couples that have one boy and one girl child.

Ms Munde has also written a letter to all guardian ministers, in which she said, “You will attend Independence Day programme to hoist National flag in your guardian district. In that function, if you will felicitate families that have registered their name in the ‘Mazi Kanya Bhagyashree’ scheme, other families will be motivated and thus it will help to increase the number of girl children.’