Satish Aditya
Motihari : Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on December 22, 2021, called upon the Jeevika Sisters (Didi), youth, and social workers to launch a strong campaign against liquor consumption, child marriage, and dowry system, by visiting all homes in villages for creating awareness against such social evils.
Mahatma Gandhi, during his Champaran Satyagrah in 1917, had started a movement in Champaran villages against liquor consumption telling the poor and illiterate people that consumption of liquor is bad for health and healthy life . He considered alcohol causes moral degeneration and intellectual deterioration.
( Photo : Imteyaz Ahmad)
The Chief Minister started his three-week long ‘Samaj Sudhar Abhiyan’ ( Social Reform campaign) wiith an interaction with Jeevika Didi at a programme organised Gandhi Maidan at Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran District in North Bihar. Nitish highlighted his social reform measures such as Prohibition and campaign against child marriage and dowry system prevailing in villages. He said that these constructive measures have helped the people particularly poor lead a better life. But it should be more effective in rural areas in coming days, Nitish said. It is necessary to improve the society, keep speaking to the people, he said. ” Whatever some people want say, it does not matter for me,” Nitish asserted.
( Photo : Imteyaz Ahmad)
“By running social reform campaign, we want to stop liquor consumption, want to end the dowry system, stop child marriage .Our government has ushered in many reforms and I am quite happy after getting information about how many poor and women benefitted from them. When ever we visit rural areas, women of poor section of the society appear very happy with all these reforms. There economic condition is improving. My government is dedicated to social reform for betterment of poor,, women , SC & ST, and minority sections,” Nitish said.
Some Jeevika sisters like Shiv Kumari Devi of Majhauliya in West Champaran; and Mina Devi of Ahirauliya village; Savita Devi of Kataha;, Usha Devi of Mehasi ; and Ladali Khatoon of Mamarakha in East Champaran, narrated their struggle with such social evils and said now they were happy running their small business at markets and their condition hadimproved.
They interacted with the Chief Minister, who said that these social evils must be eradicated to make life better for poor and urged the Jeevika sisters to take to streets to completely stop on consumption of liquor by launching a strong movement ( Hulla Bol) against the bootleggers in villages. ChildMmarriage is crime and the women should take lead to launch campaign against it, Nitish said.
Nitish distributed demo heques of Rs 5 crore loans among 246 Jeevika sisters to run their business in villages. He appeared happy with the presence of a large number of Jeevika sisters womwn .
Chief Secretary Tripurari Sharan and DGP S K Singhal also addressed the Jeevika sisters and urged them to check social evils. K K Pathak, Chanchal Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Anupam Kumar, all senior IAS officrs, also participated at meeting.
The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of different welfare schemes like 7 Nishchay Part 2 , Har Ghar Nal Yojana, toilet construction,and paddy procurement in East and West Champaran districts at Radhakrishna Meeting hall during which all officials and DMs were present.