Murmu interacts with health workers, women sportspersons of Haryana

Chandigarh: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday stressed empowering daughters as she interacted with ASHA workers, doctors, and women sportspersons of Haryana and learnt about their experiences in their respective fields.

Murmu made these remarks during her two-day visit to Haryana. She said that women should be made more and more strong, asserting that they face many challenges and obstacles in their lives.

She said daughters should be empowered for society and the country. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar were also present during the interaction programme at Haryana Raj Bhavan here. She was all praise for the daughters of Haryana for presenting the best examples of women empowerment for the entire country.

The President said daughters are the embodiment of power. Every family should cooperate in taking daughters forward in every field so that they become empowered and continue to increase their contribution in every field, she said. The way Haryana's daughters have raised the pride of their families and state on the global stage in the field of sports is one of the best examples of women empowerment, added the President. "If men and women walk together, then the family, society and the country will progress.

However, women face more challenges in their life than men, so it is the responsibility of the family, society and government to nurture and empower the girl child," said Murmu. She praised the state government for the successful implementation of the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign in Haryana and hoped that the state will continue to boost the morale of the state's daughters by taking such revolutionary steps.

During the programme, an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker from Ambala, who is also associated with the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign shared her experiences about a drive against illegal sex determination tests. She said she took part in 19 raids conducted by the state health department against the illegal sex determination tests. She also shared how she prevented her neighbour from carrying out an abortion after she had undergone the sex determination test. The Asha worker said the girl is now seven-year-old and she was being well taken care of by the family.

When the President asked the ASHA worker whether she gets support from her family when she has to go out for work at night, the worker replied she gets full support from her family as they know she is performing a job of saving the lives of girls. Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) worker posted in the Jhajjar district said she had worked in decoy operations against sex determination tests and had helped in the arrest of 10 persons and a nurse. Sharing his experience related to the implementation of the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign and the difficulties faced during this, a doctor apprised the President that in the year 2015, Prime Minister had started this campaign from Panipat and later Chief Minister Manohar Lal had formed a separate cell for this successful implementation of this campaign at the grass-root level. He further shared it is only because of the stringent steps taken by the Manohar Lal-led government against the gender determination tests, such illegal activities have been curbed to a larger extent.

Anganwadi worker Karamjit Kaur said after the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign was launched in 2015, several awareness campaigns and rallies were undertaken. She said in the Yamunanagar district, the sex ratio has improved from 818 to 938 females per 1,000 males. The President also interacted with women sportspersons who brought laurels for the state and the country in their respective sports. Woman mountaineer Anita Kundu from Hisar, who hoisted the tricolour three times at Mount Everest and the highest peaks of the seven continents, shared her life experiences and said she drove a tractor and did farming. She said how her mother supported her after her father's death. Pooja Sihag, the bronze medalist in the women's freestyle 76 kg category in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, said it was her father's dream that she becomes a sportsperson.