Bengaluru mayor: Free education for 1st girl child born in 2018

Bengaluru, Dec 30: Bengaluru mayor R Sampath Raj announced on Friday, that first girl child born in 2018 new year at a civic hospital in Bengaluru through normal delivery will be given free education till under-graduation.

This is first-of-its-kind of announcement to be made for a girl child.

"The first girl child born in the New Year (January 1) through a normal delivery at any civic hospital in the city would get free education up to degree level in a college so that girls are not considered a burden" Sampath Raj said.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) would deposit Rs 5 lakh in a joint bank account of its commissioner and the first girl child, and the interest on it would be used for her education.

"Pregnant women who go to civic hospitals for delivery are from poor families and unfortunately think a girl child is a burden for them to bring up," Raj said.

"Since a Caesarean-section birth can be induced any time, civic doctors have decided to reward only the girl child born through natural process," said Raj.