Selfie to Save the Girl Child, Says Haryana Village Panchayat
Jind, a village in Haryana, has started a contest ‘Selfie with Daughter’ to tackle its declining sex ratio.
advertisement
Parents of girl children in Jind village of Haryana may soon be seen clicking selfies with their daughters.
The selfies will be sent to the Sarpanch of Bibipur village, Sunil Jaglan, through WhatsApp.
The best three will be awarded with trophies, certificates and cash prizes by the village panchayat.
I have received over 100 selfies with daughters from across the state in last three days.
— Sunil Jaglan, sarpanch, Bibipur village, Haryana
This novel idea was rolled out in an attempt to increase the sex ratio in the state of Haryana, which was 871 females per 1000 males in 2014, one of the bottom five states in the country.
The selfies would be judged by a delegation of 30 women sarpanchs and Aanganwadi workers from Punjab.
The delegation will be visiting the village on June 19 in order to learn about the initiatives the panchayat has undertaken to prevent female foeticide and to work towards a gender inclusive and sensitive society.
The contest is the panchayat’s way of contributing to the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)