Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday termed the Dharhara people’s tradition to plant saplings to mark birth of girls as an effective instrument to counter social evils and to spread eco awareness among the public.
“Look Vijaybabu, how pretty she is. I am delighted to take her in my lap as a grandfather,” Nitish told state water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, soon after taking six-month-old Rani Kumari from her mother Munni Devi’s lap.
Unfazed by the attention being showered on her, Rani, sporting a sky colour dress and a hat, the baby looked on curiously at the strangers around her, which made Nitish and Choudhary burst in laughter.
Nitish planted a mango sapling in the courtyard of Rani’s house at Godiyari Toli in her name.
Soon after landing in the helicopter on the ground of the Dharhara middle school under Gopalpur block of Naugachia sub-division in Bhagalpur district, Nitish rushed to the courtyard of Promod Singh (27), Rani’s father, who is a daily agricultural wage earner, and did the honours.
Later, addressing the crowd, the chief minister recalled his first visit to the hamlet on June 6, 2010, and said he had been so impressed at the hamlet’s tradition that he had promised its people to spread the practice to other places.
“I tried my level best to spread your noble practice to other parts of Bihar. I am thankful that people all over the country have appreciated your practice. The Republic Day tableau, based on the Dharhara model, was displayed before the entire nation and a film based on Dharhara was prepared in a foreign country,” Nitish said.
Nitish said the Dharhara concept influenced the state government in its Hariyali (green) mission.
“During the past five years, there was 9 per cent growth in the state’s green cover. A growth of 15 per cent in Bihar’s green cover has been targeted in the coming five years. To achieve this, 24.5 crore saplings are to be planted,” the chief minister said.
Nitish urged the people to take initiative for the education of their children, especially girls, which the state government has been encouraging for years.
“In 2007, around 1.7 lakh girls attended middle schools, which has increased to more than 6 lakh in the state at present,” said the chief minister. Before departing, Nitish gifted toys to nine other girls in the age group of seven months to a year at the function.
