National Girl Child Day at Pilani Rajasthan Shridhar University
In the age group of 11-18 years, India today has 8.3 crore girls which is 17% of the total female population of 49.65 crores. The female literacy rate is only 53.87%. Nearly one third of the adolescent girls are undernourished. About 56.2% women in the reproductive age group 15-49, are anemic as reflected in National Family Health Survey NFHS-3.
- (1888PressRelease) January 28, 2011 - In India, though the legal age of marriage is 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys, according to NFHS-3 data, 45% of girls get married before the age of 18 resulting in early and multiple pregnancies, low birth weight babies and unmet needs of health and nutrition. It is known that there is a high correlation between the age at marriage, fertility management and family health with education.
Considering the importance of the Girl Child in the larger interests of the nation building task, Government of India has declared January 24 as National Girl Child Day and theme this year is "Adolescent Girls: Issues and Challenges".
Adolescence is a critical phase in a girl's life when she is on the threshold of womanhood. There are several needs and concerns which require to be addressed, including those of health, nutrition and education.
Adolescent girls are harbingers of the next generation; they can transform not only their own lives but also the lives of every member of their family and the wider society around them. An investment in their well-being and development is also an investment in the well-being of the country. Further, addressing their problems and developmental needs at this formative stage of life would remove the disadvantages that may limit their potential in later life.
It is also important that young girls are informed about legislations such as Dowry Prohibition Act 2006, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 and Domestic Violence Act 2009, in order to be better prepared to face the numerous challenges in her life. It is also important to have awareness about various schemes such as SABLA, Dhanalakshmi etc of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) Government of India.
As per a report released by the WCD Ministry, the Gender related Development Index (GDI) which is a modification of Human Development Index (HDI) based on education levels, life expectancy and standards of living taking into account gender factors has improved in 2006 as compared to 1996. Similarly, the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) which measures political participation and decision making power, economic participation and command over resources has also improved.
According to Charles McCormack President and CEO of Save the Children, to close the gender gap focus must be on female literacy, enhanced income earning opportunities for women and better provision of basic healthcare for the mother and child. Female literacy has considerable multiplier effects in all areas of women empowerment and no one anywhere has a doubt that educational empowerment alone can transform women into powerful agents of social change.
A powerful indicator of social health of any society is CSR which is the number of girls per 1000 boys in the 0 - 6 Age group. According to the 2001 census, CSR for India stood at 927 as compared to 945 in 1991 and 976 in 1961. The decline in the child sex ratio both in urban and rural areas of many states and union territories speaks about the pathetic status and low desirability of girl child in Indian society.
Highlighting the fact that Way to Transform Shridhar University had a special 20% scholarship against admission fees for girls taking admissions to various programmes, Prof BR Natarajan Pro Vice Chancellor urged the faculty and students of the University to appreciate the importance of the Girl Child and urged each one of them to play a responsible role in stopping gender discrimination.
About Shridhar University: An initiative of the Sarvhit Trust, Shridhar University Pilani has been established under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956 incorporated by Government of Rajasthan vide Ordinance No. 3 of 2009 and the same ratified by the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly vide Act No. 4 of 2010 as The SHRIDHAR UNIVERSITY ACT BIGODNA, JHUNJHUNU. Further, Vide letter F.No 8-3/2010(CPP-I/PU) dated 31 May 2010, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also notified Shridhar University under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956. ISO 9001:2008 certified Shridhar University has 11 Schools of Learning offering various Certificate, Diploma, Under Graduate, Post Graduate as well as Doctoral programmes. In order to prepare students for a global future, Shridhar University has actively taken up collaborations with various national & international institutions and already has signed MoU with top ranking Athens University of Economics and Business - AUEB, Greece.
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