National Girl Child Day 2024: Date, Theme, History and significance

National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24 January to spread awareness about the inequalities faced by girls in Indian society. On this occasion, awareness about the rights of girls is promoted in the country for their all-round development.

Theme of National Girl Child Day 2024:

• Officially, the government has not yet announced any theme for National Girl Child Day 2024 and for the last several years, the official theme of this day has not been announced.
  • The theme of the year 2019 was 'Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow'.
  • In 2020, the theme was 'My Voice, Our Common Future'.
  • 2021 was 'Digital Generation, Our Generation'.

Origin of National Girl Child Day (History):

• National Girl Child Day was established in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The main reason for celebrating Girls' Day on 24th January is that on this day in 1966, Indira Gandhi took the oath as PM. She became the country's first female prime minister . This date was chosen to commemorate every year the achievement of the country's daughter reaching this position.

Importance of National Girl Child Day:

• This annual event holds immense importance as it promotes gender equality and addresses the issues faced by girls in India.
• It promotes awareness about empowering girls through education, health and social support.
• Through this initiative, the potential of every girl child is identified. It advocates for a society where girls can access equal opportunities and make meaningful contributions.

Objectives of National Girl Child Day:

• One of the main objectives of celebrating the day is to solve the challenges faced by them in society regarding various types of discrimination. Mainly among these :
  • Gender Inequality
  • Education Boundaries
  • Dropping out of school
  • Health Care
  • Child marriage and gender based violence 
• It is jointly operated by three ministries, which are:
  • Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • Ministry of Education
• Main objectives of celebrating National Girl Child Day:
  • Promoting gender equality: It aims to promote gender equality and eliminate gender stereotypes that discriminate against girls.
  • Empowering girls: Providing girls with the knowledge, tools and opportunities they need to realize their full potential.
  • Protecting the rights of the girl child: This initiative seeks to protect the girl child from child marriage, malnutrition and gender-based violence.