BHUBANESWAR: Expressing concern over the skewed sex ratio in the state affecting gender equality and social stability, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday called for creating massive public awareness to address the societal biases for male children.
Addressing a function on the occasion of the state-level Poshan Paksh-2025 celebration at the State Institute for Women and Children (SIWC) here, Majhi said the need of the hour is to address the underlying societal attitudes and beliefs that contribute to preference for sons.
“Gender bias against girl children is still deeply rooted. Sons are preferred over daughters and what is surprising is that mothers prefer a male child over girl,” he said.
Citing Kerala which stands out among all states on sex ratio and gender equality, the chief minister said it is because the state has the highest literacy rate.
“Though the situation in Odisha is changing but slowly. With improvement in the sex ratio (1,000 males to 979 females), our efforts should be towards increasing access to quality education and economic opportunities for girls which can empower them and reduce the preference for sons,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of collective awareness in making Odisha malnutrition-free, a key priority for building a prosperous state, Majhi said the Poshan Paksh-2025 celebration aims to raise awareness about nutrition and promote healthy practices. Anganwadi workers and supervisors play a crucial role in this effort, providing nutrition and basic education to children.
Highlighting the key initiatives of the state government for improving the children’s health and well-being, the chief minister said a Rs 100 crore-funded Odisha Pushti Mission will be launched while Rs 284 crore has been allocated in the current year’s budget to provide nutritious food to women and children and assistance under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana for families with two daughters has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000.
The chief minister stressed that a whole of government approach is crucial for the success of the campaign promoting a unified and coordinated effort across departments. He inaugurated an 84-bed hostel, a modern library and anganwadi training centre on the premises of SIWC. Eight buildings of the institute were named after renowned women personalities of the state.