Bhopal, Oct 3 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday questioned why girls had reached a situation where they felt the need to write slogans expressing distrust towards men, calling for introspection by society over women’s safety and dignity.
“Why has it come to such a pass that my daughters have to write such a slogan?” Chouhan said while addressing a scholarship programme in Bhopal.
He referred to the social media slogan, “Ek kachori, do samosa, in mardon ka kya bharosa” (one kachori, two samosas, what can one trust about these men), and said it should make society seriously examine the circumstances that had led to such sentiments.
Chouhan said women and girls could sometimes face inappropriate behaviour from people known to them and stressed that ensuring their safety and dignity was not only the responsibility of their families but of society as a whole.
“If our sisters and daughters cannot trust men, how will society and the country move forward?” he said.
He urged men, boys and parents to introspect and ensure that women are treated with respect.
The minister was speaking at a programme where scholarships were distributed to children of drivers.
Under the scholarship scheme, students of Classes 8 to 10 securing more than 60 per cent marks will receive Rs 4,000 annually, while students of Classes 11 and 12 will receive Rs 4,500.
Those securing more than 90 per cent marks will receive Rs 5,000, he said.
Chouhan said he would also support children through competitive examination coaching and skill-development initiatives.
He said ‘Mama Coaching Classes’ had been started in his parliamentary constituency, Vidisha, to help students prepare for government jobs.
He said efforts would also be made to connect students with skill-development programmes so that they could pursue employment and self-employment after completing their education.
Earlier, Chouhan attended the 11th annual conference of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India at Sanchi in his parliamentary constituency of Vidisha.
He said diabetes had become a growing health challenge and stressed the need for greater focus on prevention, awareness, treatment and research.
–IANS
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