President Patil to Visit Amritsar to boost "Nanhi Chhaan" girl and tree campaign

Amritsar Oct.4 (ANI): President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will visit Amritsar on Wednesday (October 6) to give a boost to the "Nanhi Chhaan", a campaign that is aimed at protecting the girl child and trees.

Eminent women leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will attend a function related to the visit.

The campaign was launched two years ago by Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Golden Temple.

Under the campaign, small saplings such as 'Buta Parshad' are distributed to newly weds, expecting women and parents of a newly born daughter with the objective of spreading awareness among people about the twin issues of protecting the girl child and the environment.

Confirming the President's visit to Amritsar, Archana Dutta, Officer on Special Duty (Public Relations) at Rashtrapati Bhawan, informed that President Patil is keen to visit Amritsar and the Golden Temple.

She said the president is deeply committed to the cause of education and would like to see every person, man and woman, boy and girl, to be touched by the light of modern education.

She added that empowerment of women is particularly a cause dear to her as she believed this leads to the empowerment of the nation.

During her two-day visit, Patil will first visit Chandigarh on October 5, where she will stay for the night at the Governor's house. On October 6, she will pay obeisance at The Golden Temple and tribute to martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial.

Patil will also address students at Khalsa College, where women from all walks of life would gather to attend a seminar on "'Empowering Women and Save Girl Child".

She will visit the Durgiyana Mandir before returning to New Delhi on the same day.

An enthusiastic Harsimrat Badal said she is determined to transform social attitudes of the region by actively campaigning against female feticide as well as against the mindless destruction of trees. (ANI)