Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that Shaurya Dals will be constituted in all the districts of Madhya Pradesh. Presently, Shaurya Dals exist in 20 districts. He said that Mahila Panchayat will be held at Bhopal next month. The Chief Minister was addressing an International Women's Day function here on Sunday.
The Chief Minister said that Rs51,000 each under lado Abhiyan will be given to girls who have been felicitated today for preventing their child marriage. The society and Government should work in tandem to curb discrimination against girls.
An atmosphere should be created where birth of a girl child is celebrated. This Abhiyan is working towards changing the mindsets in Madhya Pradesh. It has been lauded at both national and international levels. Women's empowerment should be in mission mode. There should be stricter legal provisions to punish gender crimes. He called for a debate in the country on death sentence to rapists.
Women and Child Development Minister Maya Singh said that women can be empowered by making them self-reliant. A number of schemes have been implemented for women's empowerment in the State. Benefit of ladli laxmi Yojana has been extended to 19 lakh girls in the State so far.
Under lado Abhiyan, 51,000 child marriages have been prevented. Besides, a CM's Community leadership Development Programme is being launched. Integrated efforts need to be done for women's security, she said. At the function, the Chief Minister gave away Rani Avanti Bai Gallantry Award for the year 2014.