)
Expressing "serious" concern over incidents of female foeticide in Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said his government is striving to address the social evil while ensuring that the society accepts girl child and does not treated them as a "burden".
"The situation of female foeticide in Haryana is serious. The sex ratio of 857:1000 (female to male) is also serious (in the state)...Like the Centre's 'Beti Bachao Aandolan', we at state level also have 'Aapki Beti Hamari Beti, Aapki Beti Sabki Beti', so that no one considers them as a burden," he said.'
The Haryana Chief Minister was speaking at a function here to mark the 150th birth anniversary of polyglot and noted Jain scholar Virchand Raghavji Gandhi, who accompanied spiritual leader Swami Vivekanada to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Speaking at the function, social reformer and spiritual guru Acharya Lokesh Muni said that in early March next year, his organistaion Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, will carry out a massive campaign against female foeticide in the country, and sought Khattar's presence at the same.
"We are with you (Acharya Mani) in this campaign to denounce social evils from our country. And, I extend my support to this cause. I will be present for the campaign," Khattar said.
He said, Haryana Government was also trying to bring "fundamental changes" in education system to bring more people under its fold.
"We are working on augmenting the quality of education, through regular and technological means. And, we are also planing to work with NGOs and other organisations associated with education, to take quality education to the villages and smaller places too," Khattar said.
Calling the scourge of "corruption, as a cancer," the chief minister said that "this was the biggest challenge of the government".
"Corruption exists in bureaucracy, among political leaders, officials and common people. There is a clique on this, and while we may be able to change a few people by legal means, majority must be changed through moral and spiritual teachings," Khattar said.
On Virchand Gandhi, the chief minister said, "It was interesting to learn that in that era, a scholar like him who spoke 14 languages, accompanied Vivekananda to the World Parliament of Religions in the US, but is hardly known to people."
Gandhi was born on August 25 in 1864 in Mahuva in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.
The programme was held under the auspices of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, founded by Acharya Lokesh Muni.
