This IRS Officer Has Used up His Holidays in the Last 7 Years to Help Save the Girl Child

Hari Narayan Meena, a 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, has been spreading awareness about the need to save the girl child for seven years now. Currently posted as the Joint Commissioner, Excise, in Delhi, the officer is seen going from door to door, or talking to people at different public places – to discuss why it is important for everyone to stand strong against female foeticide and be aware about the declining sex ratio.

“When I was preparing for civil services, I was surprised to learn that when India was progressing in other sectors, the sex ratio was constantly on the decline since the Independence of the country. I thought what could be the reason for declining sex ratio. I started people making aware about it,” he told The Times of India.

He visited several houses in Vidhyadhar Nagar, C-Scheme, and Raja Park in Jaipur to talk to people about this issue, along with his wife Hemlata Meena.

Picture for representation only. Source: Flickr

He would also go to the Central Park in Jaipur to distribute pamphlets among morning walkers. Prior to Delhi, he was posted in Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. He uses his days off to go around wherever he is, to talk to as many people as he can.

Hemlata Meena is a lecturer and the couple comes up with many other interesting ways to take their mission forward. They also paste stickers carrying messages regarding saving the girl child on trucks. By April this year, they had pasted over 2,000 stickers on trucks by visiting places like Nimbaheda, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Mandsaur and Ratlam. They had set the target of pasting messages on at least 10,000 trucks. They talk to truck drivers as well and urge them to spread the message forward. Over the years, the duo has felicitated over 1,500 girls and provided them with books and other educational material.

Though it is not always easy to interact with people who don’t know about him or his position, Hari Narayan Meena is very patient in his approach. While some people think that he is collecting donations, others try to ignore him. But the officer takes his time and ensures that people get his point and understand it well.

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