Surkhet: Karnali Province has launched a Life-long Security program, named “Bank Account for Daughters.” The program was unveiled by the Chief Minister of the Karnali Province, Mr. Mahendra Bahadur Shahi. He described the program as a special one geared towards ensuring social justice for daughters.
Mr. Shahi handed over cheques bearing an amount of Rs 1000 to Darshana Damai’s four-month-old daughter Janaki and Ratana Sunar’s two-month-old daughter Jamuna to open bank accounts in their names, in Kalikot’s district headquarters Manma.
The program, mentioned in the provincial government’s programs and policies for this fiscal, has now been implemented in Kalikot after a procedure devised. It will be implemented in other districts in the province too gradually. The program will be applicable for girls born from the start of the current fiscal. Families wanting to join the program will have to apply to the local bodies concerned for the same by submitting necessary documents.
The provincial government will provide Rs.1000 as an initial fund to open an account and an additional fund of Rs.500 will be deposited every month. The provincial government can change the additional amounts to be deposited every month as per necessity. Such amount to be deposited will be released through local bodies and the total fund and the interest on it thus accumulated, estimated to be 200,000 rupees in twenty years, cannot be withdrawn until the child is 20.
There are some conditions for claiming the facility. For one, only girls whose families can provide them education up to secondary level are entitled to the facility. Similarly, a girl wishing to claim the benefit of the program cannot marry until the age of 20 years. The concerned family must apply to the local body concerned with documents vouching that the girl concerned has crossed 20 years of age and has completed secondary education, as per the claim procedure.
The Social Development Minister Mr. Dal Rawal conveyed the provincial government’s commitment to developing human capital and said that around 38.4 million rupees have been handed over to local bodies in the first installment of the program for girls born this fiscal.
Minister Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives and the provincial government of Spokesperson, Ms. Bimala KC said the launch of the program was the most happiness in her life. “I’m confident that this program will end the current trend of selective abortion, gender-based violence, and child marriage.”- she added.
Source: THT