OdishaLIVE Bureau
‘Kanya Kiran’, the massive state-wide awareness programme to stop violence against women and girl child, will continue year-long. Prafulla Samal, Minister, Women & Child Development (Mission Shakti) Govt. of Odisha jointing as Chief Guest at a thanksgiving ceremony for the coordinators, volunteers and participants here on June 8, 2018 said, awareness programme to stop violence against women and girl child is need of hour. KISS has taken a remarkable initiative in the name of Kanya Kiran. This programme will continue through the year, is more fruitful and praiseworthy, he added.
The awareness programme to stop violence against women and girl child, will continue year-long, announced by Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS. He committed to personally spearhead the programme and conduct 200 plus public meetings in all nooks and corners of the State during the year, Violence against women and girl child has no place in civilized society, he stated, while eliciting support from general public to insure zero incidence of this social plague. On this occasion a panel discussion was held on violence against women and girl child. Many Odia cine stars, social activists and intellectuals participated and gave their views on how to stop violence against women and girl child.
‘Kanya Kiran’ was launched by Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in association with UN Women and Kalinga Fellowship in all the 30 districts of Odisha on June 3. In a mobilization of scale and spread unheard of before, the programme covered all the Panchayats of the State, spreading awareness on social evils of violence against women and girl child among millions of households. Over 3000 staff of KISS and KIIT, particularly women staff, as well as 27,000 KISS students and their guardians were actively involved as coordinators and volunteers. They disseminated the message at household level in villages amid overwhelming response.
From its inception, KISS has been striving for a safer and sustained future for the present and future generations. It has led the way due to its best practices and culture of empowerment. KISS ecosystem includes students, alumni, parents and guardians as well as people associated and inspired by it. This ecosystem ushers in change – social and common good for the people – and each constituent is Changemaker. Marching ahead to villages and effecting behavioural and sustained changes at the grassroots is a powerful initiative. For last five years, during the summer break, the students of KISS and their parents engage themselves in awareness programmes on important social issues.
The awareness programme ‘Kanya Kiran’ has been successful in touching the public conscience and it will have a positive impact on curbing the problem of violence against women and girl child, said intellectuals.
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