Punjab Police take up cudgels for girl child

Named as Dhi Rani (Punjabi for ‘beloved girl child’),the scheme makes it mandatory to get an insurance policy worth Rs 25,000 done from the Central Welfare Funds of the police employees in the names of their girls born after January 1,2011. The scheme is for constable to inspector ranks. The insurance policy would have to be made within 15 days of a girl’s birth.

The said category of police officials have been instructed to celebrate the birth of girl child with enthusiasm,by distributing sweets and by formal prayers for the long life of girl children,among other things.

The standing order says that good quality plants be planted in all police premises to welcome the girl child and signboards be installed near the plants giving information about the girl’s name,her parents’ name,address and rank.

The guidelines also say that local principals of Police Public Schools be approached for ensuring good education to the girls and special counselling be arranged for helping them choose a career after completing primary education.

The standing order underlined the problem of skewed sex ratio in Punjab and India in detail before issuing the guidelines. Citing Census 2011,it warned that there were only 893 females as compared to 1000 males in Punjab. It added that number of girls was on the decrease as compared to boys in whole of the India. “Hence,the number of girls as compared to that of boys may decrease even further in times to come. In this age of dearness,some families do not want that a girl child takes birth in their families. It is also heard that some people mourn at the birth of girl child and consider it as a bad omen. So far so that girl is killed in the womb itself even before she is born,” the order underlined,adding that there was a need for “police to lead by example”.

Officials from constables to inspectors will be covered under the scheme,said AIG (Welfare) Mukhwinder Singh Chhina.