Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schemes appealing to people to adopt daughters as a symbol of pride, after taking charge as head of the country, which resulted in a "mass campaign" and also "revolutionized the sex ratio".
The Home Minister's remarks came as the country observed National Girl Child Day today.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Shah said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed people to adopt daughters as a symbol of pride and self-respect across the country through various schemes like 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' after becoming PM. As a result of his efforts, the move turned into a mass campaign and revolutionized the sex ratio."
The Central government had launched the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' scheme on January 22, 2015, to address major issues related to female empowerment in the country. The Central government's move had impacted sex ratio and the latest round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2019-21) reports that India has 1,020 females per 1,000 males.
NFHS 2019-2021 indicates that India has made significant strides in the last five years - in 2015-16, the sex ratio was just 991.
In a series of tweets, the Home Minister said, "Prime minister Narendra Modiji changed the thinking of women's development into the resolve of women-led development and opened the doors of opportunities".
"Today the daughters of the country are illuminating the name of India in every field. On 'National Girl Child Day', I convey my best wishes to every daughter of India, the pride of the country," the Home Minister said.
A number of Union Ministers and leaders also wished the country on National Girl Child Day, which is being celebrated on January 24 every year. Besides, Shah, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Hardeep Puri posted their wishes on Twitter.
The Centre, in 2008, declared January 24 to be celebrated as the National Girl Child Day every year with the objective of raising the consciousness of the society towards the girl child so that she can be valued and respected.
This day is celebrated to make the girl child of the country aware of their rights. The event is also celebrated to raise awareness among people regarding inequalities, discrimination, exploitation faced by the girls in society. It is celebrated with various programs including awareness campaigns to create a healthy and safe environment for a girl child.
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