In a departure from routine, the Government has taken to entertainment to sensitise the masses. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has in the past one year made at least a dozen films to educate people on issues as varied as adoption, importance of child girl and nutrition. The WCD Ministry has already spent one-tenth of its Rs60-crore budget on publicity of the films. The Ministry has roped in agencies like Grey worldwide, Span Communications, DENTSU and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) for film-making.
“The audio-visual medium has the maximum connect with the audience. Moreover, the media, particularly the radio can reach places where workshops and camps do not,” Maneka Gandhi, Minister of Women and Child Development, told The Pioneer. “We have made about six films under Beti Bachao Abhiyan (Save the girl child), six films on nutrition, and about three on adoption so far,” she said.The WCD Ministry is in talks with the HRD Minister Smriti Irani to make provisions for screening a film on
gender sensitisation across schools in the country. “We have written to the HRD Minister to include the film on ‘Good touch, bad touch’ in the school curriculum. It is equally necessary to educate both young girls and boys early to sensitise them,” said Maneka. Acting on a suggestion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, the WCD Ministry has with the NFDC made a film for educating post-natal women.
“Most new mothers do not know how to take care of themselves and their newborns. We have made a 28 minute film to educate them on child protection, nutrition, care and immunisations,” said Maneka. “We will ask Health Minister JP Nadda to ask all hospitals, both at the Centre and states to screen the film in maternity wards across the country. This will be handy for all new mothers,” she said.
The current Infant Mortality Rate of India, as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2013, is 40 per 1,000 live births while the Under-5 Mortality Rate as per SRS 2012 is 52 per 1,000 live births. “What is most worrisome is that even as India accounts for the highest burden of Under-5 deaths in the world, there has been a faster decline in its reduction as compared to the rest of the world. We need to educate the women to bring down child deaths,” Maneka added.