Santirbazar, March 24 (TIWN): A seminar was organized on Saturday at Santirbazar Community Hall to train the ASHA(Accredited Social Health Activist) volunteers to create awareness within the society to save girl-child and to uplift them by giving proper education. This Special training programme was also held for and Anganwadi Sevikas for ‘skill’ upgradation.

The theme of the training were to teach the ASHA:

1) the laws against  Pre Natal Sex Selection.

2) “Sukanya Samriddhi Account”, to help a girl financially.

The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention of Sex Determination) Act, enacted by the Parliament of India in 1994, which bans using of sex selection techniques before or after conception and prevents the misuse of prenatal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortion. However, due to laxity in enforcement, there was no let up in discrimination against the girl child. And the fate of the girl-child are still in question and various reputed medical practitioners fluently preserving the practice of ‘pre natal sex selection’ for their own profit. And the Food & Drug Administration kept a watch on the sale of drugs and medicines required for medical termination of pregnancy.

ASHA women were also trained to arise interest for girl-child within the society by propagating Prime Minister’s scheme:“Sukanya Samriddhi Account”, an account which can be opened in the name of a girl child at any  time from her birth till she attains the age of 10 years (with a minimum deposit of Rs. 1000) and thereafter any amount in multiple of Rs. 100 can be deposited.  For one time, a girl child who has attained the age of 10 years prior to one year from  the date of introduction of this scheme, is also eligible under the scheme. The account can be opened in any post office or authorized branches of commercial banks across the country by producing birth certificate of the girl child. And the maximum amount of Rs. 1,50,000 can be deposited in a financial year. Then girl child will be able to operate the account herself on attaining the age of 10 years. That account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of account or marriage of the girl child after attaining 18 years of age whichever is earlier. 

To motivate parents to open an account in the name of girl child and for her welfare to deposit maximum of their savings up to the prescribed limits, higher rate of interest @ 9.1 % is proposed to be given on the deposits on annually compounded basis with income tax concessions in this financial year.

After sacrificing so many daughters by Death, Rape, Early-Marriage, Burning-brides and many cases like Khowai-mother’s 3 years jail; hopes are still larking within the mind of the people of such organizations so that they can save the daughters anyhow. And not only saving the lives but also to give a good life to them is a challenge.

Now it will be seen how far our ASHA women can aware the unfortunate parents who can’t think anything else a boy child, how soon people will be able to see  a girl’s life free from various eliminating rounds from when she is within her mother’s womb to the fate of her as a ‘burning bride’.

 When the time will come while people will not get any pathetic news of such kind? This hope is still a ‘Hope’ from the independence time of India. Girls are till now waiting to be regarded as a gift of the God but not a social burden.