Ban on mobile phones for school girls in Mehasana, Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visualized a Digital India where the reach of latest technology would reach the farthest corner of the country. But, in a village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, a ban has been imposed on the use or ownership of mobile phones. It is claimed that the gadget distracts the schoolkids from studies.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 22 February 2016.

The village is Suraj village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana and a fine of Rs 2,100 will be levied on minor girls who are found to be using or be in possession of mobile phones. However, they will only be allowed to use the mobile phones of their parents inside the house. It was a unanimous decision of the panchayat because the majority of villagers felt that mobile phones are creating problems for girls and their parents.
The village panchayat considers the cell phone to be a tool used by lovestruck youngsters to elope from homes. The ban would apply to all school girls who are under 18 years old and members of all the communities, be it Dalit, Patel, Thakor or Rabari, have agreed on it.
The ban is only for school girls and women who are attending college have been spared by the panchayat because college girls are mature enough to differentiate between good and bad. Also, they also need mobile phone to stay connected with their parents since colleges are located in nearby cities not in our village.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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The Great Indian Paradox – Digital India versus a population steeped in poverty!!

This is certainly the Great Indian Paradox - India has launched a Digital India with investment of thousands of crores with much fanfare with a view to reach out to the remotest village through the internet. Simultaneously, a survey reveals a shocker – half of India is steeped in poverty with their monthly earnings less than Rs 10,000!!
This has been revealed in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 July 2015.

India has sent a mission to Mars, India wants to run billet trains, Indian cities want to vie with cities like London, Shanghai, and Paris, India wants to become a clean India through different campaigns – but the stark reality is out there.
As per the recently released socio-economic caste census (SECC), 49% of rural households show signs of poverty while 51% of households have 'manual casual labour' as the source of income.
The fact remains that the poverty data leaves no scope for assurance or optimism and, until now, every survey had been giving a wrong idea that poverty was receding.
The survey has taken seven indicators of deprivation like 'kuccha houses', landless households engaged in manual labour, female-headed households with no adult working male member, households without a working adult, and all SC/ ST households. These can all be considered as definite pointers to subsistence-level existence and serious handicaps. In view of these revelations, the Modi government would have to redefine the concept of 'Below Poverty Line'.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Modi inaugurates Digital India – Barmer bans girls from using mobile phones

#narendramodi #digitalindia #khappanchayat #barmer It defies imagination that a khap panchayat in Barmer has issued a diktat – by this diktat, girls of the village are banned from using mobile phones and social media. The girls should not to wear jeans and bridegrooms must wear dhoti when getting married.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 2 July 2015.

At a time when the mobile phone has become an integral part of our lives and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Digital India to ensure that the electronic revolution reaches the remotest village, the decision of the Khap of Barmer is strange.
This is all the more so because Barmer is in Rajasthan which is a BJP ruled state.
However, the Prime Minister’s Digital India project will take a severe beating if such primitive mindset continues to prevail. The PM wants the entire country to get high speed internet, but if the Barmer example expands, the villages will not enjoy the light of the new dawn.
Of course, this panchayat has taken some good decisions also – these are saying no to child marriages, sending all children to school, and ban on liquor. But, the ban on mobile phones for girls is difficult to digest. The mobile phone today has become an identity, the mobile number is necessary in innumerable day-to-day transactions like in banks.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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