BHUBANESWAR: Not every day does one see a collector performing on stage to sensitise people on a burning issue which is a roadblock to the district’s social development.
On Sunday, when Subarnapur celebrated its Subarna Loka Mahotsav, district collector Aboli Naravane decided to take to the stage to create awareness among locals about the need to bring back girls to schools and stop child marriages. A Kathak dancer, trained under Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Guru Shyama Bhatt, Aboli performed the classical dance form on the song ‘O Ri Chiraiah’.
Subarnapur’s battle against child marriages has been a persisting one. “When we decided to host the mahotsav, I thought of using the platform to create awareness on the issue and what better than a dance performance,” said Aboli, who has been instrumental in bringing almost all dropout girls in the district back to schools.
The drive that began in May last year has also been hailed as one of the best initiatives in preventing child marriages by the state government. “In the age group of 15 to 18, we identified 900 girls who had dropped out from school. Since they are vulnerable to marriage before the age of 18, we decided to bring these girls back to education and skilling fold,” said the collector.
Besides, girls who failed Class 10 are being made to sit in classrooms to prepare and appear for the supplementary exam this year. The girls who were not willing to study in schools and colleges were enrolled in ITI, polytechnics and open schooling system. Of the 900 girls, 76 girls could not secure admission and 30 migrated.
As the district administration continues to tackle the issue of child marriage, it has managed to increase reporting of such illegal weddings through awareness. In 2020 and 2021, the administration prevented 128 such marriages. Subarnapur administration has also declared 753 villages child marriage free out of 960.