Kanniyakumari District Collector M. Prathap on Saturday participated in the special ‘pink’ gram sabha meeting held at Madhavalayam village in Thovalai village union, focusing on the theme of protection and education of the girl child.Addressing the meeting, Mr. Prathap said that the participation of women is continuously increasing, not only in the total population of the country, but also in all spheres such as education and employment. Highlighting that the literacy rate of the country has reached 80%, he noted that the role of women in this achievement is crucial, adding female students have been consistently excelling in school, college and competitive examination results.Emphasising that the female birth rate in Thovalai area, which was around 950 two years ago, has now crossed 990 and is close to 1,000, he appreciated the efforts of the public as well as officials from the social welfare department, health department, education department and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs).He further said that the target was 1,200 girl children for every 1,000 boy children, stating that the department officials should work together to further increase the female birth rate in western parts of the district.Stressing the need for the abolition of child marriage, Mr. Prathap said that the State government has been implementing various measures for the welfare and protection of the girl child.During the meeting, the Collector also issued instructions to be followed in view of dengue fever preparedness in the district, including covering containers in households and frequently changing the water stored behind the refrigerator.District Social Welfare Officer Vijayameena, Assistant Collector (training) Monika and several other officials were present. Published - June 20, 2026 09:07 pm IST