Future of five girls in Banaskantha secured

Palanpur: Five girls aged five and below received a unique gift on Monday to mark International Women’s Day in Banaskantha.
Future of these girls, either orphaned or those having single parents from poor financial backgrounds have been secured with a fixed deposit (FD) of Rs 25,000 each. The FDs which were gifted by collector Anand Patel will double at the time of maturity in ten years and ten months.
The amount has been donated by friends and family of Mumbai-based Dr Vikram Mehta, who is chairman of a local college and also runs many charitable hospitals.
The five girls include a five-year-old daughter of a Asha worker from Tharad taluka’s Bardwa village who died in an accident and is being raised by her father who is a labourer and another five-year-old who has lost her parents and is being brought up by her grandparents.
Similarly, there are two other five-year-old girls from Tharad whose parents are HIV positive and another two-year-old girl who is being raised by her mother as her father has passed away.
The FD will mature when the girls attain 18 years. The interest earned from it will be spent on their education, welfare and health.
“The Mahila Kalanidhi Trust plays an important role when fate disowns the unfortunate,” said Patel.
“So far, 45 children have been supported through the scheme that was started to help the downtrodden in 2012-13,” said Rashmiben Hada, chairpersons of Mahila Kalanidhi Trust.