Meena leads children to school in Kujang

PARADIP: To the women and children of Mangrajpur and Bagdia panchayats in Kujang block, Meena Clubs are the gateway to a life of prosperity and social parity, a welcome change from their squalid existence. The initiative has been hailed for bringing about a socio-economic development in the region, as well as reducing the number of school dropouts over the last two years.With regular meetings and interaction with the locals, the 11 Meena Clubs, an initiative of Paradip Phosphates Limited (PPL), have ensured gender equality in the region and provide women a platform to assert their rights. There is manifold increase in participation since the clubs’ inception and their number stands at over 300 at present, with the members ranging from school-going girls to elderly women. The Clubs not only help eager students to enroll in schools, but supervise health standards and hygiene apart from organising developmental activities. “Meena is the lead character of a series of animated films developed by Unicef on issues related to children. The Government started a programme to educate the children of the rural areas and christened the initiative Meena. It is run with financial help from the Unicef,” said a PPL official Madhusmit Pati. Besides, the Child-Centric Panchayat Initiative by PPL in Mangrajpur and Bagdia, purported to address the needs of children, has been received well by the locals. The initiative covers health, drinking water, sanitation and education, apart from encouraging villagers to take up mushroom cultivation. Coaching classes for high school students are organised under this initiative. Certification courses in Microsoft applications are also on offer. “With the implementation of Meena Clubs, school dropout rate in the region has been checked to a great extent. It has shown the villagers a way to better living,” said  Mangrajpur Sarpanch Rabindranath Mohapatra.  According to sources, toilets were constructed in schools apart from 400 Individual Household Latrines.  “Members of Meena groups are made aware of the benefits of a healthy and hygienic life. They have supported the initiatives and contributed to the development efforts,” said Advisor, Corporate Affairs, PPL, S Acharya.