West Midnapore: APAS initiative puts spotlight on fight to end child marriage
Kolkata: As part of the state government’s ongoing ‘Amader Para, Amader Samadhan’ (APAS) initiative across Bengal, the camp at West Midnapore’s Keshiary turned into a platform for a powerful social message that underage marriage must end.
Held at Santrapur High School on Friday, the event drew large crowds of villagers who watched as students and local youths used theatre and cultural performances to drive home the point.
At booths 32, 33 and 34 under Santrapur Gram Panchayat, students staged a play which struck a chord with the audience, while others joined in with songs and performances. Together, they demonstrated how crucial it is to stop child marriage, particularly to safeguard the future of girls.
Keshiary BDO, who attended the programme, said: “It is commendable that a school has come up with this unique idea. It is praiseworthy to see how the students sent a message across through a cultural programme. We always take prompt action if any such attempts are being made and we come to know about it.” Meanwhile, state Power minister Aroop Biswas, following the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, visited “APAS” camps in three Assembly constituencies in Howrah-North Howrah, Domjur and Sankrail. The local MLAs Goutam Chowdhury, Kalyan Ghosh and Priya Pal were also present.
The APAS initiative of the Mamata Banerjee government achieved an unprecedented milestone on August 20, with over 50 lakh citizens participating across the state in just 15 days since its launch.
According to the figures of August 20, over 9,000 camps had already been held across the state, bearing testimony to the transformative power of grassroots democracy under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The phenomenal response has exceeded all expectations, with the Rs 8,000 crore-plus programme witnessing an average of over 3.33 lakh daily participants, showcasing the people’s unwavering trust in this revolutionary approach
to governance.