File picture of students of VV Giri School in Berhampur taking part in a self-defence training camp

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 27: The government is planning to felicitate 10 girl students who used their self-defence skills to come out safe in various risky situations.

These girls had been trained in the ongoing self-defence training programme, which is a part of the Odisha State Youth Policy, 2013, that started in July this year.

“At least 10 such cases from various districts have been brought to our notice. These girls were manhandled on streets and buses, and they used their combat skills to face the unpleasant situations successfully. This indicates that the training is achieving its purpose and students are practising their skills. We have decided to felicitate 10 such students. The list of students will shortly be announced,” said a senior official.

Organised by the departments of sports and youth affairs, higher education and home, the training aims to imbibe self-confidence and strength in girl students.

The target of the programme is to train three lakh girls in self-defence within one year.

In another development, the higher education department has decided to churn out yet another batch of master trainers for its training programme. This will help in solving the shortage of master trainers, said higher education secretary Gagan Dhal.

Although around 500 master trainers are engaged in the training, the number is considered insufficient as the authorities plan to reach about 3,000 colleges across the state, he said, while speaking on the sidelines of a review meeting on the self-defence programme held here.

The department directed the colleges to complete the programme by January 2014.

Principals from various colleges complained that colleges were scattered and the lady master trainers are reluctant to travel. The problem is even more serious in districts such as Malkangiri and Rayagada where there is an additional fear of Maoist violence.

“To tackle the problem, we have decided to train more village-level residents as master trainers so that they do not have to commute very far. At least 300 more master trainers will be trained soon,” said another senior official of the department.

While many colleges are yet to begin the training programme, colleges in Cuttack are the best performers in this regard.

“We have already trained 1,890 students in 150 colleges,” said principal of Ravenshaw Junior College Rita Das.