Despite a strong cultural ethnicity prevailing in our country, we have failed protect girl child from all sorts of violence including sexual cruelty on them, the speakers said at a seminar on “Empowerment of girl child: Role of the civil society” held during the 17th Annual Day function of weekly ‘Paschimanchala’ at Bastia Memorial Trust here last week.
Chief guest BPUT VC Prof Chittaranjan Tripathy said in his address to a gathering of intellectuals that Indian culture had survived for centuries because of its respect to the female progeny as family was the cradle of learning with parents as beckon light of guidance.
“Of late, we have discovered degradation in our value system. A process of enculturation has taken over as excessive use of alcohol and telecast of TV serials where women are presented in villain character have left their stamp in this sad state of affairs,” he said, adding the message of empowering and the consequence of abusing the girls must reach youth mass. Earlier Prof Tripathy released a souvenir published on the occasion and felicitated Aiswarya Mishra and Dilip Duria with ‘Prativa Jyoti Sanman’.
Presiding over the function, Executive Editor of Paschimanchala introduced the theme of the seminar and the esteemed panelists comprising Dr Kiran Mishra , Dr Rasbihari Mahapatra , Dr Akshyaya Samal and industrialist Sanat Kumar Pradhan spoke on the subject.
Among others, Editor Paschimanchala Surama Mishra,Gyanranjan Mishra, Sunil Kumar Mishra spoke. Amit Tripathy and Geetika Mishra were the co-hosts of the programme with Swarup Mishra, publisher of the weekly, presenting a vote of thanks.