KOLKATA: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on National Girl Child Day, reaffirmed her government’s commitment to women’s empowerment and said the social schemes run by the state cater to girls at different levels and help them to become self-reliant. Calling the girls the “future architects of our society”, the Chief Minister highlighted a wide range of social schemes, emphasising girls’ education, health and financial freedom. In a post on X, Banerjee wrote: “...In Bengal, we don’t celebrate the girl child merely on one day; we celebrate her and empower her every single day of the year, at all crossroads of her life. From her birth to her education and self-reliance, at every single turn, our government stands by her as a supportive hand-holder.” Claiming that the journey of empowering girls begins at birth, she said: “This journey begins with Kanyashree, our globally acclaimed and awarded pioneer initiative to promote girls’ education and well-being by discouraging their unhealthy early marriage. 1 crore girls over the years have been financially supported by us in this scheme to retain girls in formal educational institutions.”
She said that the state’s Sabooj Sathi scheme eases the child’s mobility and movement to schools by granting a bicycle to each student. State government also provides assistance through schemes like Shikshashree, Aikyashree, Medhashree and Taruner Swapna. Banerjee also reminded that when a girl finally marries, she gets one-time financial assistance under her government’s “Rupashree” scheme. Then, an adult senior woman is enrolled in the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which now provides financial independence to 2.21 crore women of Bengal who get direct monthly cash transfer from the state government, she pointed out. “As the prime anchor of the household, she also gets a Swasthya Sathi card, which gives her and her family assured health insurance coverage @ Rs 5 lakh per year. Today, Bengal’s daughters are excelling in every field, from the laboratories of science to the podiums of international sports,” she wrote on X. “We reaffirm our pledge to provide them with an environment where they can breathe freely, learn fearlessly, and lead boldly. Jai Hind! Jai Bangla!” she added.