Discrimination of Girls Reflects Mental Sickness: Modi

Modi launched \'beti bachao beti padhao\' (save daughter, educate daughter) scheme in Haryana and took on doctors who indulged in female foeticide.

Published: 22nd January 2015 05:35 PM  |   Last Updated: 22nd January 2015 05:42 PM   |  A+A-

By PTI

PANIPAT: Denouncing the practice of female foeticide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the discrimination against girls reflects "mental illness" and displays a mindset worse than that in the 18th century.           

Launching 'beti bachao beti padhao (save daughter, educate daughter)' scheme in this district of Haryana, a state with one of the poorest sex ratio, Modi also slammed doctors indulging in female foeticide, saying their "sin" was a "betrayal" against society.

In a hard-hitting speech, he said, "we cannot call ourselves citizens of 21st century by practising such a crime and we were by our mindset belonged to 18th century when daughters were killed soon after they were born."

Administering a pledge to the gathering that they will work to end female foeticide and discrimination against girls, he said, "We are in fact worse than that. In those times, (in 18th century), girls would be allowed to be born and live for some time. We kill our daughters in the wombs of their mothers... In the root of this is our mental poverty."          

Noting that in the Indian society, sons are considered very important, he said there is a belief that "daughters are a property of some other house where they would be married.

This disease is not of Haryana alone but this mental illness ails the whole country."           

Pleading to end this ill practice, he said, "The Prime Minister of this country had come to them like a beggar and was begging for the lives of daughters."         

Referring to Haryana, he said it was very painful for him to see that in a state which produced a woman like Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman to have travelled in space, "other Kalpana Chawlas are killed in the wombs of their mother".           

He also launched Sukanya Samridhi Yojna (girl child prosperity scheme), under which girl children below 10 years will have bank accounts with more interest and income tax  benefits.         

A host of Union ministers, including Maneka Gandhi, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani and J P Nadda, Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar joined Modi as he launched the scheme.           

Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit was also there to promote the drive against female foeticide.         

The campaign will be initially implemented in the 100 districts, including 12 in Haryana, across country where sex ratio is rather poor.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp



Comments

Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.

The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.

flipboard facebook twitter whatsapp