Hyderabad: Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Commissioner and SERP Chief Executive Officer Divya Devarajan called for measures to empower rural girls, stressing bicycle training and leadership development for adolescent girls.
At a review meeting on Friday, the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Commissioner said mobility begins with learning to ride a bicycle. She directed officials to include this in the expansion of SNEHA groups.
The initiative aims to federate girls below 18 years under safety, nutrition, empowerment, and health programmes. She also asked officials to prepare a comprehensive Human Resource Development plan.
Empower rural girls through SNEHA group expansion
Divya Devarajan said bicycle training would help girls gain independence and access opportunities. She added that it could enable them to obtain driving licences in the future.
She instructed officials to use summer vacation to help students secure documents. These include caste, income, residence, and Aadhaar certificates needed for higher education.
Furthermore, she directed mapping of local vulnerabilities and corrective action. She stressed that complaints, such as lack of street lighting, should be addressed promptly.
She called for preparation of safety plans to address issues like eve-teasing and stalking. These plans should be implemented in coordination with police and local bodies.
Officials were also asked to encourage SNEHA groups to raise local issues with authorities. She noted that around 9,000 groups with over 90,000 girls had been formed so far.
She stressed the need to expand these numbers three to four times. The summer period, she said, should be used for mobilisation and weekly engagement activities.
During the meeting, officials raised issues in opening bank accounts for adolescent groups. Subsequently, she wrote to the State Level Bankers’ Committee seeking support.
She also directed replacement of male Development Assistant Officers with women Village Organisation Assistants. Honorarium will be paid to bicycle coaches under the programme.
Divya Devarajan asked officials to submit an action plan by Monday. The plan should focus on education continuity, prevention of child marriages, and adolescent welfare.