Gonda celebrates record-breaking Kanya Pujan with 11,880 girls

Two remarkable symbols of women’s empowerment, Mission Shakti Cafe and Mission Shakti Wall, were unveiled under the guidance of the chief minister.

LUCKNOW Gonda played host to the largest-ever Kanya Pujan in the country on Sunday, with a staggering 11,880 girls from various blocks in the district coming together to partake in the ‘Shakti Vandan’ worship event. Additionally, two remarkable symbols of women’s empowerment, Mission Shakti Cafe and Mission Shakti Wall, were unveiled under the guidance of the chief minister.

In an eco-conscious move, the district administration ensured that the Kanya Pujan ceremony was a zero-waste event (HT Photo)

The initial goal was to gather 11,000 girls, but the actual number exceeded expectations by almost 900. These young participants were not only celebrated but also received sanitation kits, nutrition bundles, and a hearty meal during the ceremony held at the Shaheed Azam Bhagat Singh College campus. Furthermore, nine outstanding women who had excelled in fields such as law enforcement, the justice department, and the health department, among others, were honoured with certificates and mementos.

In an eco-conscious move, the district administration ensured that the Kanya Pujan ceremony was a zero-waste event. A compost pit had been prepared in advance to handle the 1,388 kilograms of wet waste generated during the event, which will be converted into fertilizer. Dry waste, amounting to 70 kilograms, was meticulously sorted into paper waste, glass, plastic bottles, and polythene, which will be sent to a dry waste processing unit.

The chief guest at the event, Baby Rani Maurya, Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development, inaugurated both the Mission Shakti Wall and Cafe. The Mission Shakti Cafe, a pioneering establishment in the state located at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri College, is operated by women from self-help groups based in Gonda. On the other hand, the Mission Shakti Wall bears the message ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ and pays tribute to twenty-five Indian women who have played transformative roles in the nation’s history, including luminaries like President Draupadi Murmu, Sarojini Naidu, and Sania Mirza, among others.