Punjab CM launches scheme for free sanitary pads to high school girls

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced a slew of welfare schemes, including free sanitary pads for girls studying in high school and colleges in the state.

According to a statement, the CM dedicated the month of January to the girl child and paved the way for the distribution of 2,500 sports kits among youngsters.

He also launched a programme to give property rights to slum dwellers and rolled out an over Rs 75-crore smart metering project besides an e-Daakhil portal for consumer complaints.

Launching Dheeiyan Di Lohri, the chief minister in a symbolic gesture, blessed five girls along with their mothers with a shagun of Rs 5,100 and baby kits for each.

Under the scheme for the girl child, a series of events will be held every day across districts, beginning with Mohali, to mark the occasion of Lohri.

Congratulatory letters penned and signed by the chief minister will be handed over to parents of over 1.5 lakh girls celebrating their first Lohri this year, the statement said.

The chief minister announced free sanitary pads for all girl students of high schools and colleges besides those residing in rural areas, especially the slums across the state.

With the launch of the Basera programme, 2,816 dwellers in 10 slums of Patiala, Bathinda, Fazilka and Moga districts will get proprietary rights in the first phase.

The CM asked the Local Government Department to ensure basic civic amenities, including potable drinking water, street lights and roads in slums for a comfortable life.

Launching a Rs 75.64-crore smart metering project, the chief minister said the scheme will help reduce human error in manual reading through automatic uploading of data.

From January 2021 to December 2021, 96,000 meters will be installed across the state under the project, which will help curb malpractice of reading concealment/theft of electricity and improve the reading/billing efficiency and quality, he said.

The chief minister said the new e-Daakhil portal will help consumers safeguard their rights. It will provide them with an effective mechanism to protect them from exploitation at the hands of traders and will help them in approaching consumer courts with ease, he said.

Launching a scheme for the distribution of 2500 sports kits among the youth, through community participation especially of the Ludhiana industry, the chief minister said it will help promote health awareness and sports culture.