Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of ‘International Day of Girl Child 2020’, the state Department of Women and Child Development as well as Mission Shakti Sunday evening launched ‘Advika’ – a welfare and empowerment programme for the adolescent girls of Odisha.
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The programme was launched in virtual mode by the Minister Women and Child Development Tukuni Sahu. Advika is an initiative of the state government for adolescent girls between the age group of 10 to 19 years. It will be implemented through Anganwadi centres.
Useful features like Anganwadi pocket book, pocket book for adolescents, multimedia package, Kishori calendar and frequently asked questions (FAQs) have been contained therein.
“Advika is a renewed commitment of the state government towards adolescent girls. The programme is about building life skills among girls by exposing them to topics that are essential for them to handle in everyday life. Advika will also be a platform to connect adolescent girls to various welfare programmes of the state government”, informed Anu Garg Principal Secretary of the department.
Garg also announced that a MIS is to be developed for the tracking of adolescent girls. Unlike the MCP card (mother and child protection card), there will be a ‘Kishori Card’ which will record BMI, haemoglobin levels including sessions of training undertaken. This will help to know the health, nutrition and safety status of adolescent girls.
“The vast network of women self-help groups (SHGs) can play a vital role in creating an enabling environment for adolescent girls to survive and thrive by collective actions in challenging discrimination. The SHGs will act as resource persons in counseling the adolescent girls, monitoring dropouts, curbing child marriages including their health, hygiene, sanitation and other self-protection related issues”, Sujata Karthikeyan Commissioner Mission Shakti expressed.
PNN