Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal described the Panipat Pinkathon for women organised in Panipat on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Friday as first-of-its kind programme in the country.

He said that to make women more empower, the strength of women in the State Police Force would be increased to 10 per cent.

Manohar Lal was speaking after flagging off the Pink Marathon for women in Panipat. He said that this is the 11th unique marathon of the country in which about 50,000 women participated.

While dedicating the Pinkathon to the brave martyrs of the country, he raised confidence among the women participating in the marathon with slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and ‘Sashakt Mahila-Sashakt Bharat’’. Manohar Lal said that he salutes to the mothers who send their children to the armed forces to serve the country.

He said that though the present State Government has started various programmes for the empowerment and uplift of women in the State but Pinkathon is a unique initiative in this direction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao programme from Panipat on January 22, 2015. At that time, the sex ratio in the State was even less than 850. On the call made by Prime Minister, the campaign took the shape of a mass movement and as a result of this, today the sex ratio in the State has reached to 914, he added.

Manohar Lal said that the State Government has set up 34 new women colleges in the state during the last four-and-a-half years.

He said that to make the women more empower, the strength of women in State Police Force would be increased to 10 per cent in the near future. Earlier, this figure was only 6 per cent in the year 2014 which has now been increased to 8 per cent, he added.