JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRA
India Post News Service
PHAGWARA: Celebrating girl power, Sarav Naujawan Sabha Welfare Society Phagwara Tuesday held ‘Dhian Di Lohri’ function in which 25 newly born daughters, including 11 visually impaired ones, were honoured and given gifts of traditional sweets related with Lohri, besides clothes.
The function was organised jointly by the Sabha, CDPO office and LPU’s NSS unit, according to Sukhwinder Singh, Sabha’s President and the organiser.
Union minister of state for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash presided over it. His wife Aneeta Som Parkash had also organised a similar function the preceding day in which 101 newly born daughters were honoured and given gifts. Addressing Sabha’s function, Som Parkash lauded the stellar role played by NGOs in creating social awareness against gender discrimination.
Appreciating women empowerment and listing various schemes of Modi government for women welfare, especially of girl child, minister claimed that owing to awakening by NGOs and well-meaning sections of society, women have started having their rightful place in society, politics, administration and entrepreneurship.
“Even then we still have a long way to go in removing gender bias and will have to make huge efforts in getting equal status to daughters and breaking shackles of medieval mindset”, Som Parkash observed. “Some people still have glum faces over the birth of a daughter while they burst into impromptu ‘bhangra’ over the birth of a son”,he remarked.
A cultural programme was also held.
Social activist Smt Aneeta Som Parkash, Ex-Chief Engineer Powercom Sanjiv Kumar, Additional SE Powercom Pawan Kumar Beesla, noted writers Gurmit Palahi and Dr Jawahar Dheer, eminent industrialist Ashwani Kohli, Punarjot Coordinator Ashok Mehra,activist Harjinder Gogna also graced the occasion.
