Chandigarh, February 17– Expressing pride over the achievements of girls in Haryana, the Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that our daughters have not only brought laurels to the State but also to the nation across the world. He said that besides the field of sports, education, management, agriculture, industry, our daughters have also been excelling in the field of films and beauty contests.
The Chief Minister today interacted with VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020, Ms. Manika Sheokand at his residence today. Manika, a Chemical Engineer hails from Jind district of Haryana.
While congratulating her and her entire family, the Chief Minister said that the entire state was proud of her achievement today. He extended his best wishes and honored that she would win the world beauty contest by making efforts in the same manner. He presented Shrimad Bhagavad Gita with a Shawl to Ms. Manika and urged her to study and follow the teachings of Gita. He said that following teachings of Gita will lead her to find solutions to all the problems of life.
Achievements of daughters of Haryana
Referring to the achievements of the daughters of the State, the Chief Minister said that Ms. Manika is the third daughter of the state in the last 6 years, who has brought laurels to the state in the beauty contests. Earlier, Ms. Manushi Chillar and Ms. Meenakshi performed well in similar beauty contests. Ms. Manushi Chillar became miss world in year 2017, while Ms. Meenakshi was the runner-up in year 2018.
He said that by winning medals in the field of sports, the daughters of the state have proved their mettle. A camp is currently underway to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. Out of 37 women boxers selected in the country, 22 women boxers are from Haryana.
Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign gives impetus to the growth of women in Haryana
Speaking to the Chief Minister, Manika said that after the launch of 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign in the state, parents have given special attention to support their daughters. On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that now this campaign is not limited to saving and educating the daughters, but has gone further to support them in every field. He said that the sex ratio in the state had increased from 871 to 922 as a result of this campaign, which was appreciable.
Brand Ambassador of Environmental Protection-
Speaking on this occasion, Ms. Manika expressed her objective to work on environmental protection in future. She said that besides saving, water, air and soil for the protection of the environment, it is also necessary to dispose off the used products properly. Specifically referring to sanitary napkins, she said that instead of using plastic in making sanitary napkins, biodegradable materials like cotton, bamboo, banana, jute etc. should be used. On this, the Chief Minister directed the officers present to take effective steps after consulting the entrepreneurs in this regard.
Observing Ms. Manika’s interest in protecting the environment, the Chief Minister suggested her to be the brand ambassador of 'Mera Pani-Meri Virasat’ Scheme in the state to which Manika and her family immediately agreed.
The Chief Minister said that in view of declining groundwater level in Haryana, there is a great need to save water. It is the lifeline of farmers and agriculture in the state. He said that for this purpose we have implemented 'Mera Pani - Meri Virasat Yojana'. In this scheme, an incentive amount of Rs 7,000 per acre is being given to the farmers who have been sowing less water-consuming crops for replacing paddy.
He said that during Kharif-2020, paddy replacing crops were sown on 97,000 acres of land due to which paddy production has also reduced this time.
Among those present on the occasion included Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal, Media Advisor, Sh. Amit Arya, Mother of Ms. Manika Sheokand, Smt. Mamta Sheokand, her father Sh. Surajmal Sheokand and her maternal uncle and her brother.