THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 6: Under the Vidvah Punar Vivah Yojna, the first of its kind in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Champai Soren today digitally gave Rs 2 lakhs each to two widows in Palamu district.
Seven widows in the state will be getting two lakhs each as part of their remarriage.
Widow remarriage a taboo
Widow remarriage is still a taboo here in the feudalistic Palamu, where it is a sin to talk about widows going for marriage again.
However, the present dispensation, breaking the shackles of the medieval approach to widowhood, has launched a ground-breaking Yojna called Vidvah Punar Vivah Yojna.
Palamu district social welfare officer Neeta Chouhan told this correspondent today, “The Vidvah Punar Vivah Yojna is covering two widows here in Palamu.”
539 Kanya Daans
Neeta Chouhan said, “We have a fleet of 539 Kanya Daans slated for the fiscal benefit given to them by the government.”
The state government offers Rs 30,000 per Kanya Daan. The state figure of the Kanya Daan Yojna is 2,537, and it involves free monetary aid worth Rs 7.61 in the state, said the secretary of this department, Manoj Kumar.
The programme held here, in continuity with that held in Ranchi, was tremendously successful, following the large participation of Sewikas and Sahayeekas. There was joy and excitement among the participants.
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Women and Child Development Minister
Women and Child Development Minister Baby Devi fumbled for words when she addressed the chief minister of Jharkhand as ‘Hemant Soren, ‘ completely forgetting that the chief minister Champai Soren is right there on the hot seat in Ranchi.
Social Welfare Director Shashi Prakash Jha and his team did a marathon performance.
Back here in Daltonganj, a linked programme of Ranchi was graced by DC Shashi Ranjan.
DC Shashi Ranjan was offered a typical ‘topi’ by the district social welfare officer Neeta Chouhan. He tried hard to wear it but, finding it difficult, kept his head free of it.
No bouquet was given, but saplings and that was the beauty and grace of this programme today.
Palamu DC Shashi Ranjan
DC Shashi Ranjan stressed the need for a voter helpline app and asked the Didis of the Aagan Badi Kendras to have this app. He also stressed financial literacy among women.
He praised the people of Palamu, who ‘are very tech savvy and pace with growing technology.’
He wanted to know from Sewikas what model aagan badi Kendra is. No Sewika could explain adequately.
One Sewika of Harihurganj lamented that her pagan badi Kendra has no building of its own.
One other spoke about the kitchen garden and the cleanliness of the kids’ hands.
He asked for a positive attitude and not to be a complaining one.
His following query was how many Didis have ever paid online. The response could have been better.
DC Shashi Ranjan asked the DSWO Neeta Chouhan to train Didis in online payments. He said let’s begin with one-rupee online payment training.
