Accolades pour in for Mamata's Kanyashree at Esplanade

Lakhs of women from different parts of the state chose Martyrs' Day rally to hail Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her success in ensuring "education for all girls" by implementing Kanyashree Prakalpa.

Banerjee has been honoured with the first prize in United Nations Public Service Award for Asia Pacific in The Netherlands on June 24 for the project that was her brainchild.

It was not only her party workers or supporters who turned up to attend the rally at Esplanade but lakhs of common people travelled huge distances from different fringes of the state to be a part of it and convey their gratitude to the Chief Minister. Among them were hundreds who had never dreamt of providing education to their girls because of poverty.

Gokul Das, a housewife from Mayapur village at Arambagh in Hooghly district, failed to control her emotions while narrating the story of her hardships she had faced to bring up her daughter. She had never imagined that it would be possible for her to support her daughter to continue her education after Class VII or VIII. But it was Kanyashree Prakalpa that showed rays of hope to the poor peasant family. Both Gokul and her husband urged their daughter Niva to continue with her studies when they came to know about the support being provided by the Mamata Banerjee government through the scheme. At present, Niva goes to college with a dream in her eyes to become self-dependant so that she can look after her parents in future.

The women came in groups from villages and many of them shared similar experiences like Gokul to narrate the benefits of the project.

Nirupama Das and Parul Das both came from Hooghly and both of their daughters have passed Higher Secondary examinations this year. Both of them have received the benefits of Kanyashree Prakalpa.

The stories do not only generate from the rural areas of the state. Many commoners from the city too came to congratulate Banerjee for her success in the Kanyashree Prakalpa.

Babli Basak, a resident of Cossipore in North Kolkata, said: "Kanyashree Prakalpa has brought a new beginning in the life of my niece Moumita. She was unsure as to how long she could continue with her studies. But now, she is determined and confident that whatever happens she will never have to stop going to school."