Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh would get an award from the Union government for commendable work in awareness work and outreach activities under the Beti Bacho, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said Mandi district administration was committed to ending gender discrimination and awareness drives are being conducted to aware fairer sex about their rights.

The administration is also working to ensure better education and health facilities to women, he said, adding it was the second time that the district has been selected for the award.

The campaign in Mandi district was started by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on 7 October 2018 after various activities including setting up gardens for daughters. The administration, with the help of Sarv Devta Samiti (the caretakers or kardar of local deities), had performed ‘Kanya Pujan’ of 1008 girls during International Mandi Shivratri Fair and had also involved local deities to desist people from indulging in malpractices as female feticide and end discrimination against the fairer sex.

A government official said Shimla has been selected for doing commendable work in awareness generation and outreach activities under the Beti Bacho, Beti Padhao scheme. Shimla district had started a special drive to focus on girls and women on the occasion of National Girl Child Day in January 2019.

The ANANYA initiative was launched on the same day with a focus on awareness generation regarding menstrual health and hygiene, nutrition and health monitoring of adolescent girls, antenatal care of expectant mothers.

Besides, awareness of non-tolerance to workplace sexual harassment, youth participation in shaping an equal society and guiding women towards economic independence was also started.

A signature campaign was also launched under BBBP campaign besides launching of a calendar of BBBP and awarding the women achievers. The sanitary napkins, vending machines and incinerators were installed in eight government senior secondary school for girls in the district.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched a booklet in March 2018 at Shimla, which is a compendium of women-specific Acts and also contains helpline numbers.

Sirmaur district had managed to beat the past trend of skewed sex ratio and has recorded a sex ratio of 1004 girls for every 1000 boys in 2018-19 as compared 931 in 2011 census. This was after the district administration decided to strictly monitor implementation of schemes meant for girls and women, especially ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme.

The administration had directed all panchayats to ensure that the girl child is not discriminated against or otherwise, the grant under ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme would be stopped.

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development had decided to felicitate the districts, states and UTs who have been performing well in respect of achieving the goals set by the BBBP.

The awards would be given at a function to be organised in New Delhi on 7 August 2019 and would be presided over by Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani.