Rallies taken out by hundreds of school students highlighted the festivities that marked the Children’s Day observance in the State capital on Tuesday.
Over 25,000 students, including those from the tribal areas of the district, are estimated to have taken part in the rally organised by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare. The rally was flagged off by General Education Minister V. Sivankutty at the University Stadium and later concluded at the Nishagandhi auditorium.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, whose message was read out in his absence, said the architects of the Constitution, including the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had envisioned an India that is free of violence and exploitation of children. Affirming that the government would pursue an unrelenting stance towards violence against children, Mr. Vijayan also emphasised on the special focus that is ensured to develop the physical and the mental health of children in the State through various schemes.
Mr. Vijayan also cautioned against the threat posed by the propagation of superstitions and regressive thoughts through social media. Children should be encouraged to nurture critical reasoning and lead lives beyond the boundaries of caste, religion, gender, language, country etc., he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Women and Child Welfare Minister Veena George said this year’s Children’s Day will be marked as an historic day with the verdict in the Aluva child murder case.
Stressing on the role of the public in protecting children’s rights, she called for wholehearted efforts to nurture the unique talents of each child.
Children’s Prime Minister Aathmika V.S. inaugurated the programme that was chaired by children’s President Mithra Kinathil. Children’s Speaker Nanma S., other students Rebecca Mariam Chacko, Joel Binoy, V.K. Prasanth, V. Joy, MLAs and council general secretary G.L. Arun Gopi also spoke.
In another function organised by the Department of Women and Child Development, Ms. George said turning Kerala into a child-friendly State was the government’s prime goal. The Ujjwala Balyam awards instituted for children who have displayed exemplary talent in arts, sports, literature, science, social sciences, environmental conservation, information technology, agriculture etc were presented on the occasion.
Students’ Haritha Sabhas were organised in local bodies across the State as part of the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign aimed at making local self-government institutions garbage-free by March 2024.
Students reviewed the waste management systems in their localities and suggested measures of improvement. The representatives of civic bodies faced a barrage of questions from the students during the discussions.
