Book to teach children Human Rights released

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) An introductory book on Ruman Rights for children titled 'My Book of Human Rights' was released on the occasion of the Child Rights Day here today.

The book written by Dr Jayashree Gupta, Chairperson-cum-MD,IDPL, was released by P C Sharma, Member, National Human Rights Commission at a function organised by the Bal Bharati magazine which is brought out by Publicaion Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasing.

The book through basic information and interactive exercises on Human Rights, tries to bring out the activists in the young readers and tells them how they can help less privileged children around them.

Speaking after releasing the book, Mr Sharma said there could have been no other more appropriate time to bring out such a book on human rights for children.

He emphasised that education and nutrition were the two basic rights and efforts must be made to achieve this goal for every child.

The main speaker at the function, a writer of children's literature Harikrishna Devsare, said traditionally children were not allowed to express their views but, Bal Bharati was a forum which encourages them express themselves through essays, poems and paintings.

On this occasion, winners of the 'Bal Bharati Essay Competition' 2007 were felicitated by Secretray of the Ministry Asha Swarup.

A student of the local Navyug kanya School Gunjan Dubey won the first prize which carries Rs 3000. The second prize of Rs 2000 went to Anand Vibhor, a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Masjid Moth, and the third to Rachna Sharma of Government Higher Sectondary Girls' School, Najafgarh.

Instituted by the Publications Division's children's magazine Bal Bharati, the awards were presented to 13 school children for their best essays on the topic 'Azadi ke 60 saal: Hame Garv Hai Bharat ki Upalabdhiyon par, Lekin Abhi Bahut Kuchch Karna Baaki Hai'.

Ms Swarup in her remarks said Bal Bharati had been making good efforts to encourage children to speak up their minds and develop in them the spirit of nationalism.

Director, Publications Division Veena Jain, in her welcome address, said one of the oldest and largest circulated children's magazine in the country 'Bal Bharati' had crossed one lakh copies monthly circulation mark.

Ten other children won consolation prizes. They are - Yatin Bhardwaj (Sanjivani Public School, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi), Ankit Kumar (Neo Convent School, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi), Akriti Singh (Holy Child School, Tagore Garden, New Delhi) Abhilash Gupta (Mata Shiv Devi Public School, Tri Nagar, Delhi) Komal Pandey (Government Sarvodaya Girls' School, Dallupura, Delhi) Ushank Shastri (Dev Samaj Modern School, Nehru Nagar, Delhi) Shivam Vishnoi (G S B V, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi), Geeta (Janaki Devi Sarvodaya School, Mayur Vihar, Delhi) Vikranti Singh (NDMC Girls' Sr. Secondary School, Gole Market, New Delhi) and Naman Jain (Green Fields Public School, Dilshad Garden, Delhi). All the children were given a citation along with the prize.

Started in 1941, Publications Division today is one of the biggest publishing organizations in India. With a mandate to publish books on matters of national importance at affordable prices, the division publishes books in all the thirteen languages scheduled in the Constitution.

Some of its most popular publications are Yojana, published in 13 languages simultaneously, Kurukshetra in Hindi and English, literary magazine Ajkal in Hindi and Urdu and children's magazine Bal Bharati in Hindi.

UNI