Rajasthan to have 'temple' for kids to promote child rights

UDAIPUR: Kids will soon share the stage with Hindu Gods in a special temple in Rajasthan's Banswara district. BJP MP from Banswara-Dungarpur, Manshankar Ninama, on Monday proposed the construction of such a temple in tribal-dominated Ghatol block where statues of young achievers from the area would be installed alongside the idols of Laddoo Gopal (Lord Krishna's baby form), Bal Ganesha, Bal Kartikeya and Bal Hanuman.

The objective of this exercise is to create awareness for children's rights. Chairperson of Rajasthan state commission for protection of child rights Manan Chaturvedi said, "A Baal-Chalisa would be inscribed on the temple wall narrating the rights of children and the visitors would be given a booklet on the same as 'prasad'."

The children's statues would be dressed in tribal attire to portray the rich culture of the land. Priests at the proposed temple here would perform 'hawans' to invoke gods for eradicating malnutrition among kids and encourage parents to provide higher education to their children.


Chaturvedi said there would be a grievance box on the temple premises, where people could report child abuse or other related issues. Authorities will also constitute a 'bal sena' (children's army), that would go on door-to-door to campaigns to educate people on proper diet and nutritional requirements for kids.