Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba for the generous act of opening Sukanya Samridhi accounts for 101 girls on the occasion of their daughter's fifth birthday. Jadeja shared the letter received from the Prime Minister on her official Twitter handle describing her act as a 'philanthropic initiative.'
Notably, the couple opened bank accounts for girls and made the initial deposit in every account to celebrate the birthday of their beloved daughter, Nidhyanaba, a move the Prime Minister called "admirable." Prime Minister acknowledged the act of gratitude by Rivaba Jadeja for helping the 101 underprivileged girls, labelling the act an 'unselfish deed.' In his letter, PM stated that our culture has always been guided by the spirit of selfless service.
"India is a bearer of such an intellectual tradition of the world where we say that the woman is a manifestation of the divine," read the letter. Indian prime minister also wished the couple for their noble act and urged them to continue their noble act for the larger good of society. He stressed that "such voluntary efforts have the potential to generate a positive message within society and serve as an inspiration to all."
"We firmly believe that our Narishakti has immense potential that can be harnessed to further the process of women-led development. Exceptional achievements of our daughters in many fields today make us proud," read the letter. Speaking of Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, PM launched the initiative under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao in 2015 for the upliftment of the girl child across the country and to provide benefits to underprivileged girls.
PM Modi's scheme focused on securing women's future aims to educate citizens against gender bias and improve the efficacy of welfare services for girls. It was launched with initial funding of Rs. 100 crore (US$ 13.5 million). Sukanya Samriddhi scheme aims at accumulating the savings for the girl child in a family to secure their future and offers an SSY tenure of 21 years.
The savings can also be withdrawn in case of a girl's marriage past the age of 18. Only a minimum of Rs, 250 deposit needs to be made to keep the account operational and later multiples of Rs. 100 can be deposited up to a maximum amount of Rs. 150,000. Families can withdraw 50 per cent of the amount for a girl's higher education once she attains the age of 18.
