The President has called upon the nation to eradicate the evils of dowry, child marriage and female foeticide.
Speaking at the 175th birth anniversary celebration of famous Shayre Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali at Hali Park in Panipat, Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil stressed the need of women empowerment. She said that the education and healthy food are must for overall development of the girl child.
Expressing concern over the decreasing male- female ratio in India, she said the projected ratio of 1000 males to 914 females in the preliminary data of national Census is worrying.
The President also lauded the steps taken by Haryana government for the upliftment of women and to improve the male female ratio in the state. She released a book on Poet Hali titled "Baccho Ki Hali". Later, she visited the "Yudh Samarak" at Kalamb raised in memory of the three historical battles of Panipat and attended the programme organized on completion of 250 years of the third battle of Panipat.
Governor Jagannath Pahadia, Tripura Governor D I Patil, Haryana Chief Minister Bupinder Singh Hooda and two grand daughters of Poet Hali were among the dignitaries who were present on this occasion.
