While a declining trend of female sex ratio coupled with poor health condition of adolescent girls has become a matter of concern, the Angul district administration has prepared a roadmap to meet this most important social challenge.
At a meeting held here on Monday, District Collector SR Yadav has stressed upon a yearlong massive campaign with the support of Health Department, social activists and industrial organisations to sort out the problem.
The campaign would begin with an awareness rally on October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child. The theme of day is ‘The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030’.
The adolescent girls have the right to a safety, education and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years but also till they mature into women. “If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls would change the world, both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads and political leaders,” opined speakers.
They opined that the girls, when enter the second decade of their lives, need to get quality secondary and higher education and information services related to puberty and reproductive health. They should be protected from child marriage, against unwanted pregnancy and gender-based violence.
The district administration is aspiring to support the current and upcoming generation of adolescent girls for their sustainable and equitable growth.
The Jindal Steel and Power limited (JSPl) had launched the “Kishori Express”, a CSR initiative to control IMR/MMR and promote safe motherhood in February 2011 in two blocks, Chhendipada and Banarpal of the district and covered over 50,000 adolescent girls. The Kishori Express is a mobile health unit which moves from one village to another, to check hemoglobin rate, provide iron and folic acid tablets.
JSPl Chief Naveen Jindal said, “Adolescent girls in India are the most vulnerable. About 56 per cent girls in India in the age group of 15-19 are anemic.”
After JSPl’ initiatives, the district administration has now come forward to vigorously campaign for betterment of adolescent girls of the district. The proposed October 11 awareness rally would attended by veteran Everest mountaineer Kalpana Dash.