Didi's Kanyashree aids 16 lakh girls

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the state has achieved the target of bringing 16 lakh girls under the Kanyashree project aimed at uplifting and empowering women in the state.

“With the induction of 3.75 lakh girls under Kanyashree, we have achieved the target of bringing 16 lakh girls under the project,” she said while inaugurating the programme to mark one year of the internationally acclaimed project. The chief minister said August 14 will be marked each year as Kanyashree Divas to mark the project’s success.

The project recently received praise from the UNICEF and the British government’s Department for International Development.

A pet programme of the Mamata Banerjee government, the project, showcased as one of the path-breaking schemes to uplift the girl child at the Girl Summit in London in July, aims to support at least 24 lakh girls between 13 and 19 years with scholarships and grants to prevent them from dropping out of school in favour of marriage.