Aimed at empowering girls and protecting them from the attacks by perpetrators, the Karnataka state government has decided to impart self-defence techniques. Karate, Taekwondo and Judo will be taught to female students, which includes girls who have completed Class X and are residing in the Social Welfare and Backward Classes and Minorities hostels.
Under the programme, the government will spend Rs 4,000 per month for trainers and Rs 1,36,000 as cost of training and uniform for the 100 students and Rs 68,000 for the 50 hostellers.
The aim of the training is to empower the girls to protect themselves from attackers. The selected trainers will be given Rs 4000 for a period of eight months, Rs 800 as travelling expenses per hostel. Each student will also be receiving Rs 500 as uniform expenses once a year.
The trainers have to visit each hostel twice a week and eight times a month to impart the training. Each session will be for 60 minutes and various techniques will be imparted to the girls. Before the start of the course, each and every girl will undergo a health check.
The training programme will be held only for a period of three months — from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022 — in the first year and it will be a regular event from the next academic year onwards. About 69,867 students across 629 hostels belonging to Backward Classes and Minorities and the same number of students from the Social Welfare department are eligible for the training programme in Karnataka.
Speaking to TNIE, District Social Welfare Officer Reshma Kousar said that this programme will bring confidence to the girls to face any difficult situation. "We have already selected trainers in martial arts. This programme will also develop leadership skills which is missing among the rural girls. It is difficult to understand emergency situations and the trainees will be taught ways to tackle perpetrators," she added.
