Kapurthala: Devaluation of girl child has been a bane of India's development efforts. Today, girls’ rights on a global scale and specifically her safety are very much in its infancy. Thousands of girls each year are victims of gender based violence in India and the most recent statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that crimes against women have increased by 34% in the past four years. Paying heed to the alarming situation, DJJS Santulan organised- "Kanya Bachao Rally", a massive public awareness-cum-protest rally against sex selective abortions and deteriorating status of women in the society on 5th April, 2018 at Kapurthala, Punjab involving active participation of around 600 school and college girls riding on jeeps, bullet motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.
IAS Mohammad Taiyab, Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, was invited as the chief guest who flagged off the rally at Guru Nanak Stadium. Guest of Honor Ms. Sukhdeep Kaur Multan, District Program Officer led the rally on a jeep along with Assistant Commissioner Major Dr. Sumit Mudh which was concluded at Virsa Vihar covering all the significant areas of the city. The event was graced by the prestigious presence of Dr. Rashmi Vij , Principal of DAV School, Assistant Deputy Commissioner(ADC) Rahul Chaba, Assistant Deputy Commissioner(ADC) Avtar Singh Bhullar, Ms. Satpal Kaur Bajwa, District Education Officer, Ms. Harpreet Kaur, District Child Safety Officer, Mr. Kulbhushan Goyal, EO-City Counsel, Ms. Snehlata, CDPO, Advocate Neelam Mahajan and various dignitaries of the city.
The awareness creating grand event featured inspiring awareness activities on gender based violence , motivational performances, guest talk followed by presentation of memento of kanya bachao rally to the honorable guests. The Flag-off ceremony began with a brief discourse by Sadhvi Sumedha Bharti Ji, disciple of His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, who said that by means of this awareness ride, the organization purports to eliminate female feticide from society and walk ahead towards holistic empowerment of women. She also shed light on the need of balance between the two genders for society to run, same as two wheels of a bicycle. Chief guest DC Mohammad Taiyab said that today girls are achieving success in every field and making their families and country proud with their commendable accomplishments but unfortunately heightened son preference in the society is suppressing their headway. Hence there is a dire need to halt the inhumane and relentless killing of girl child. Appreciating the endeavor of DJJS Santulan, Mr Taiyab said that such public awareness rallies will surely serve as a medium to change the mindset of the society and this is also a part of various activities planned in the district to carry forward the message of gender equality. Thereafter, with the release of balloons, the monumental revolutionary rally was kicked off wherein participants and guests holding placards and howling slogans to save and value girl child, sensitized and inspired incalculable number of people on its way.
Well hard work pays off, on the very next day of the program, Punjab government organized a grand award ceremony under the Government of India's initiative of "Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao" in Kapurthala, wherein Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, running under the divine mentorship of His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, was awarded to bring a brisk change in the falling gender ratio of the society under the banner of its gender equality program - "Santulan". Sadhvi Gurpreet Bharti Ji, Swami Sajjanand Ji and Swami Ranjeetanand Ji on behalf of DJJS Santulan received the award from Chief guests Mr. Navtej Singh Cheema, MLA- Sultanpur Lodhi, Mr. Rajbans Kaur Rana, Ex-MLA, Kapurthala, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Avtar Singh Bhullar and Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dr. Nayan Bhullar.
EX-MLA Mr. Rajbans Kaur said that as per the government survey report of the nearby villages of the city, it was found that total number of girls has been doubled in the eleven villages, which is an astounding achievement. Therefore Punjab Government decided to honor those diligent selfless contributories of the society who are devoting themselves in the eradication of deep rooted societal menace in real sense and DJJS Santulan is one of them and the true deserver of this award. On receiving the award Sadhvi Gurpreet Bharti Ji, disciple of HH Ashutosh Maharaj Ji and representative DJJS, Kapurthala branch, said that Santulan works for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and emphasized on the fact that it is empowering women ideologically.
DJJS is a socio-spiritual organisation headed and founded by Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji and is working globally for the establishment of universal brotherhood and peace through nine-dimensional social reforms and welfare programs, focused on issues like gender, education, community health, drug abuse eradication, environment conservation, Indian cow breed improvement and conservation, disaster management and empowerment of disabled and prisoners, along with workshops for corporate sector and youth.
