New Delhi, Jan. 22 (ANI): Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath today launched National Girl Child Day Celebrations with presentation of awards to children for raising the issue of girl child through their paintings.

A competition was organized by the Ministry for school children to highlight the concerns of girl child. Today awardees were given a citation and cash prize.

Addressing the function on the occasion, Tirath said the Government has introduced a number of programmes for the welfare of girl child like Dhanlakshmi, a Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme for the girl child, Kishori Shakti Yojana for self-development of adolescent girls and the National Programme for Nutrition.

Another programme for adolescent girls ‘SABLA’ is being launched very soon, she added.

Expressing concern over the plight of girl child, Tirath said that girl children continued to be deprived of full growth and potential.

She said that girl infanticide and child marriages are still big challenge and blatant violation of child rights.

She added that Government has taken several initiatives and number of legislations have been made to check these evils but the legislation and programme interventions could only to a certain extent address these problems.

“It requires a change in mindset of people and perceptions towards girl child,” she said.

She urged the NGOs and representatives of civil society and youth to join the campaign and to become ’social change agents’ so that girls can get their rightful place in the society. (ANI)