Prashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.).

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1 Prashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.). Above all he is a passionate teacher.

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6 Ministry of Women and Child Development The ministry and UNICEF together organized a panel discussion on The Role of Sports in the Empowerment of Girls A power-packed sports team comprising of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar, Indian Women s cricket team captain Mitali Raj, former captain Indian women s National Basketball Team, Raspreet Sidhu, Special Olympics athlete, Ragini Sharma, Karate champion, Mana Mandlekar and International para swimmer and BBBP Champion from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Rajni Jha participated in the panel discussion. Minister of Women and Child Development Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi. UNICEF India representative Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque and Secretary WCD, Shri Rakesh Srivastava were present on the occasion.

7 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao program Conceived and launched by the Prime Minister as a national flagship program. Launched in 161 districts Committed to increasing the value of girls and creating an enabling environment for them to enjoy their rights. Results Between the period and an improving trend is seen is Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in 104 districts; 119 districts have reported progress in the first trimester registration against the reported ANC registrations and status of institutional deliveries has improved in 146 districts. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Week- The Daughters of New India from 9 th October-14 th October, 2017 to create Value of Girl Child in the backdrop of the Government of India s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) with its critical focus on survival, protection, education and development of the girl child.

8 It is a good day to celebrate the progress India has made in advancing the rights of half its children. Concerted efforts over the last decades are bringing results. According to the National Family and Health Survey ( ), teenage pregnancy has halved in the last 10 years and the percentage of girls married as children has decreased from 47% to 27%. More girls are going to school than ever before and more of these schools now have girls toilets and menstrual hygiene management facilities. Girls are being increasingly celebrated by media as adventurous, ambitious and determined. Advertisements today include women and girls on motorbikes, in sports fields and in executive boardrooms.

9 The Indian Constitution provides a powerful mandate for human rights in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties and specific provisions for affirmative action. The government has instituted laws and policies protecting the rights of girls and women, including a ban on dowry, pre-birth sex determination and child marriage. State schemes and programmes provide bicycles, hostels, life skills and stipends.

10 Nationally, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao directly tackles pre-birth sexdetermination and along with Sabla and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana supports the empowerment of girls. One stop shop centres for survivors of violence against women have been set up and are being utilised. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram and Janani Suraksha Yojana support pregnant women, new mothers and infants.

11 India is also home to robust social movements and organisations for gender equality and women s rights. Few of us can forget the months after December 2012 when one of the largest protests on violence against women and girls resulted in the Indian Parliament amending within three months Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code. This now includes largely progressive elements on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls. Stories and images of girls and boys fighting gender based discrimination and violence fill newspapers every day in every language.

12 These efforts are critical. Girls in India lag behind boys in almost every indicator. They are less likely to be born, less likely to be taken to doctors when they are sick, less likely to go to private school and less likely to graduate from secondary school and university. Indian girls are more likely to be anaemic than Indian boys but also fare worse than the global average for anaemia. 167 out of 1,00,000 Indian girls and women die giving birth, compared to a developed country average of 14. Indian girls are more likely to be married as children than boys, more likely to be sexually abused and trafficked. When they grow up, Indian women are far more likely to experience violence in the home and outside it, usually from known perpetrators. Indian women have the 11th lowest rate of workforce participation in the world (27% versus a global 50%) and India is in the lowest ranked group of countries for gender equality in the 2016 Human Development Report.

13 Three interdependent priorities can change the paradigm completely: educating girls, preventing their early marriage, and enabling their safe mobility. A girl cannot be educated and learn skills if she cannot freely and safely access school, college, health clinics, sports fields, markets and workplaces. If a girl is not educated, she will not become financially independent. On the other hand, a healthy, educated, income-earning woman will make more productive decisions for herself, her family and her community. Multiply this individual impact by 225 million girls and imagine what India could look like! A drastic reduction in sick and malnourished children, more equal and responsive leadership and an impact of up to 60% on the economy, according to a 2015 McKinsey report.

14 Questions 1. Which State of India ranks number one in disbursing bank loans? 2. Employment generation is a hot topic in India and we often hear about in various news sources. As per Government of India, MUDRA Yojna has played a pivotal role in this area. How many self-employment has been created by this yojana? 3. Name the apex body of India that is engaged in agricultural research.

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