MISSION-2010

We opted for this project looking at orthodox Indian views towards female foeticide and dowry system. World agrees that we have come a long way since our independence, more than half a century ago.  Indeed, we have made significant scientific and technological progress.  But when we hear of female infanticide and female feticide let alone the gender discrimination everywhere else or when we see the statistics showing the skewed sex ratio, it makes us think that all the progress is absolutely worthless. On many occasions we reflect on the progress that women made in our country and we feel proud-we had our first female head of state decades ago and women in politics, sports, literature and other arts continue to perform outstandingly. Yet this pride is short lived and it dissipates into a kind of horror and despair with the knowledge that despite such demonstrations of brilliance by Indian women, our society fails to even secure their existence.  In fact with growing technological developments, people have found new ways of satisfying their obsessions. Indeed techniques such as amniocentesis, biopsy and ultrasound scans developed to ensure the health of a baby are misused by parents and doctors and their primary purpose today is sex determination. A survey in Haryana showed that an alarming 95% of the amniocentesis scans were being carried out for sex determination. This forms the foundation of the practice of female foeticide.   The greatest offenders in this area are the northern and the western states, with Punjab and Haryana leading the pack.  In Punjab the child sex ratio has decreased to a horrifying low of  798 females to a 1000 males, and Haryana has seen a decrease, meaning there are now only 819 females to a 1000 males.  What is also disturbing is that this trend is also noticeable in other states, which evidenced a relatively healthy child sex ratio in 1991 and has now radically decreased.  Under the statistics, it has in fact been calculated that more than a hundred million women are missing.  A hundred million women who should have been part of this society have been denied a life because their parents wanted a son. Some other ground realities in this field are as under :- 

1. India’s legal abortions kill 80000 women annually

2. After the partition (1947) 10 lakh girls were killed in female      foeticide

3. In some states women are selling for Rs. 5000/- while buffalo is selling in Rs. 25000/-   

Unfortunately, various schemes to counter this situation brought out by many states as well as at the central level have been ineffective in reducing the extent of this problem. Because this is not so much a legal problem as it is a social disease and dowry is one of the major cause which forced parents to kill their girls child in the womb. We need to truly rid ourselves of this son-obsession and understand that our lives would be just as fulfilling, if not more, if our children were to be girls.  To reduce this social imbalance, a mass level awareness campaign to change the mind set of masses is the only solution.  That’s why we had started this MISSION-2010.  

Description of the project impact

This project would ultimately change the present scenario of the State in the filed of female foeticide and dowry system.  This project will be highly provocative, to aware the masses in every nook and corner of the Haryana State, because fight on mass level against these social evils is the need of the hour, otherwise the state will become den of sedition, abduction, force marriages, minor rapes, eve teasing etc.  To save this province which is marching towards the gutter of social imbalance and gender discrimination, social awareness is the only solution. Impact of our campaign can be visualized from some villages like Jalmana in Karnal District where awareness drive has been fruitful and now the number of girl child in the village is more than male child. Similar results can be seen in all over the State in the following period.

Future of the project. 

As our project MISSION-2010 will focus on female foeticide and dowry system, and our ultimate goal is to reach every house hold of Haryana with our message of awareness against this dreadful social evil. To achieve this target under this project we have planned following activities :-

1. A state level street play workshop will be organized in which young volunteers from all 21 districts of the State will be invited and 21 street play team will be prepared.  These 21 teams will function in their respective districts to aware the general masses through powerful media of acting. People will be urged to be associated with this project on voluntary basis.  These team will cover the whole State in the year 2009 and process will continue till the achievement of our target.

2. Educational seminars will be organized at Urban as well at village level to aware people about the bad impact of these social evils on the structure of the society and development of the Nation. The focus will be to involve maximum young people in this project.

3. Like our previous State level Chetna Yatra (Awareness Journey), Districts level Chetna Yatras will be started to cover all the remote sensing areas, villages, blocks and Urban areas etc. It will include speeches, street plays, brochures, oath forms against social evils of female foeticide and dowry,

4. In the last phase of this project a door to door campaign on the pattern of election campaign is planned.  To achieve this ambitious target minimum 1000 volunteers will be associated with this project from each district.  These volunteers will cover every house hold of the State. Brochures and other written material will be distributed and oath Forms will be duly filled in by all Parents as well as pregnant ladies that they will never indulge in this heinous crime of female foeticide. Youngsters will be inspired to fill oath form that they will not demand or give dowry during their marriages. 

QUEST FOR PEACE-A WAR AGAINST TERRORISM  

In present era when most of the countries are facing different type of conflicts, it is the need of the hour to inculcate message of peace among the masses so that the dream of war free, terrorism free world could be achieved.  Keeping in view, NIFAA has started a series of programme under the tile Quest for Peace. To start this message eight member NIFAA delegation visited Japan to participate in peace prayer held at Hiroshima on the Hiroshima day under the leadership of Pritpal Singh Pannu.  All members wear T. shirts having slogans of “Quest for Peace”, “No more Hiroshima no more Nagasaki” and they were widely covered by the electronic and print media of Japan assembled at the Hiroshima peace memorial.

After returning from Japan, Ist programme under the title “Quest for Peace” was organized on 10th of August, 2008 to pay tribute to the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bomb explosion.  The programme was organized in collaboration with Embassy of Japan in India, New Delhi and was presided by Dr. Shakil Ahmad Khan, Director General Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan while Mr. Hajime Matsumura, Ist Secretary to Embassy of Japan was the key note speaker. He threw light on the tragic incident of Ist nuclear explosion and expressed hope that nuclear powers of the world would learn a message from this man made disaster and no more nuclear bombs will be dropped on any other country..  NIFAA artists from ASSAM successfully spreaded the message of universal brotherhood and war free just world through a dance drama based on the theme of world peace.  

Similar type of programme was held at St. Theresa’s convent School, Karnal to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11 terrorist attack on world trade center, USA.  NIFAA chairman Pritpal Singh Pannu threw light on the tragic incident of 9/11 and its impact on the global policy against terrorism.  He said that this heinous crime against humanity claimed 2,974 innocent lives and urged the younger generation to join hand with NIFAA to curb terrorism.  Sh. V. Kamaraja, Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range was the chief guest on the occasion while Sh. Banarasi Lal Chawla, proud father of late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, presided over the function. 

The projects got a boost when H.E. Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Hon’ble President of Mauritius especially spared his precious time to preside over the International Seminar on universal brotherhood and world peace which was organized by NIFAA at the Symposium Hall of National Agricultural Science Centre of ICAR, at New Delhi.  Internationally acclaimed educator and motivator Shiv Khera was the key note speaker in this seminar who enlightened the delegates on the burning issue of world peace and suggested various measures to achieve this target.  S. Tarlochan Singh Member of Indian Parliament loudly appreciated NIFAA efforts in this direction and urged the audience to work together to make this earth a peaceful and just world.  On this occasion NIFAA honoured prominent personalities from different countries who made their great contribution to bring people of the world more closer.  These personalities include Swami Agnivesh (President Sarvdeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha), Dr. Ansar Burney (Human right activist from Pakistan), Sh. Akhil Bakshi (President Bhartiya Yuva Shakti), Dr. Thomas Abraham (Chairman, GOPIO), Sh. Raj Kishore Mishra (Regional Director, CYP Asia Center), S. VikramJit Singh Sauhney (Padam Sri Awardee and President World Punjabi Organization), Dr. Shakil Ahmad Khan (Director General Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan), Sh. Suresh Ramburn (President FOHO, Mauritius), S. Arshinder Singh Chawla,IPS (Delegate to UN Peace Mission) and Sh. Kailash Goel (Chairman LR Group).  A very active social and human right activist from the United State of America, Ms. Michelle Reddinston also attended the seminar and She whole heartedly appreciated the NIFAA venture. 

The programme was largely attended by the intellectuals, doctors, social and cultural activists and it was decided that they all will work for the mission of universal brotherhood.  A rich tribute was paid to the victims of Mumbai Terrorist Attack and Martyrs of Indian Parliament Attack.  In his presidential speech H.E. Sir Anerood Jugnauth said the outcome of this seminar will surely have a positive impact on society.  He condemned the barbarous terrorist attack in Mumbai and said that time has come for us to join forces together to combat such ills of society.  He said that terrorism is a concern for every inhabitant of this planet in whichever country one lives. 

With the same motto of bringing people of the planet more closer through cultural and social exchange programmes NIFAA organized a musical evening under the title Ek Sham Bharat Mauritius Dosti Ke Nam, which was presided by H.E. Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Hon’ble President of Mauritius.  A large number of citizens from Karnal and nearby areas, prominent personalities, heads of various social, cultural, educational, literary organizations assembled at NDRI auditorium Karnal to strengthen the bond of friendship between India and Mauritius. 

With the support of the above mentioned programmes NIFAA is relentlessly working for a better world in the future which has peace, harmony, cooperation and respect for all inhabitants of the Globe.  We strongly believe that the volunteers who respect such principles will come and join us to further enhance our works and projects for still better results.