Ten Newborn Girls Celebrated at Varanasi Hospital

VARANASI: Ten newborn girls and their families were at the centre of a Kanya Janmotsav held at the Women’s Hospital on the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Government Hospital campus in Pandeypur, where the celebration was paired with a review of services for women and girls.

Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission Chairperson Babita Singh Chauhan and commission member Geeta Vishwakarma attended the programme on Monday. A cake was cut to mark the births, and the families received baby kits and sweets.

The event carried a simple public message: the birth of a daughter should be welcomed with the same joy, support and dignity given to any child. Chauhan spoke about respect, protection and empowerment for girls and called for the objectives of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign to reach every section of society.

After the celebration, the commission representatives inspected the Women’s Hospital and the One Stop Centre. They reviewed the facilities and services available and directed officials to ensure that support for women and girls is delivered with quality, sensitivity and within a reasonable time.

That second part of the visit is important. A ceremonial welcome can challenge old social attitudes, but a newborn and her mother also need dependable postnatal care, nutrition advice, vaccinations, birth registration and follow-up. Families leaving a government maternity ward should know where to return if the mother or baby develops a health concern and what public schemes they may be eligible to access.

The One Stop Centre serves a different but connected role by bringing assistance for women facing violence or distress under one support system. Its effectiveness depends on privacy, trained staff, coordination and trust. A woman who reaches the centre may already be navigating fear and family pressure; delayed or insensitive handling can prevent her from seeking help again.

Kanya Janmotsav programmes are symbolic by design. Their value grows when the symbolism is followed by measurable service: mothers treated respectfully, girls kept in school, families linked to health care and complaints resolved without making the applicant run from office to office.

The Pandeypur programme also placed public officials inside the hospital environment rather than in a distant auditorium. That allowed the celebration and the inspection to happen together, linking the social message with the condition of the services meant to support it.

For the ten families, the day offered gifts and a shared welcome at the beginning of a new chapter. For the administration, it set a more demanding benchmark. The dignity celebrated at birth has to continue in the ward, at the help desk, in the classroom and wherever a girl later seeks an opportunity of her own.