The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A Children's Day gift for girls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A Children's Day gift for girls

Special Correspondent

Kumaraswamy launches Bhagyalakshmi insurance scheme

A RAY OF HOPE: Beneficiaries receiving bonds from Chief Minister H.D. Kumarawamy, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu at the launch of Bhagyalaksmi Insurance Scheme for the girl child at Bal Bhavan in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: The Bhagyalakshmi insurance scheme, aimed at helping girl children from the below the poverty line families, was officially launched by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Children's Day.

The Rs. 234-crore scheme is intended to benefit 2.25 lakh girl children in the State.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the project was the first of its kind in the country and would help in the fight against female infanticide, discrimination against girls within families and in ensuring education at least up to pre-university level for girls. Under the programme, any girl child born after April 1, 2006, in a BPL family is eligible to get Rs. 10,000 in her name at birth. The girl is paid Rs. 1,200 annually from VIII Standard until she is 18.

At 18, she would get Rs. 45,000 if she studies till pre-university course level.

The beneficiaries of the scheme from Bangalore Rural and Urban districts received bonds of the scheme from Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who had announced the scheme in the last budget. Reiterating the coalition Government's commitment to the poor, Mr. Yediyurappa said the Government would launch a scheme on November 23 to help one lakh unemployed youth in acquiring skilled training.

Agonising wait

Bhagyalakshmi scheme may have the good intention of helping girl children. But the young beneficiaries and their mothers, who had come from various taluks to receive bonds did not have an easy time at the function outside Bal Bhavan. Most infants and their mothers had left early in the morning to reach the venue. It did not help matters that the Chief Minister himself arrived an hour late. In the sweltering heat under the pandal, most of the 110 babies, all aged below one, were crying. More confusion reigned when they went on stage to receive the bonds from Mr. Yediyurappa — they had to jostle for space with photographers.

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