Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida Tuesday asked officers to spend at least one hour every month in areas where social evils such as witch-hunting still persist.
She was addressing a state-level workshop on the prevention of witch-hunting and the prohibition of child marriage, organised by the Women and Child Development Department.
Highlighting the pivotal role of women in the state’s rural economy, Parida said education and sustained awareness are the most powerful tools to eradicate regressive practices such as witch-hunting and child marriage.
She urged officers from different districts to proactively visit villages for at least one hour each month to create awareness against superstition and other social evils.
Parida, who holds charge of the department, called on officers to act not merely out of administrative duty but with a strong sense of humanity and social responsibility.
She said the state government was committed to building a healthy, progressive and superstition-free society for future generations.
Addressing the gathering, Women and Child Development principal secretary Shubha Sharma said legal enforcement must be combined with mass awareness to effectively combat social evils.
PTI