Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to the streets of capital Bhopal on Tuesday with a handcart decorated with flowers in order to collect toys and books for anganwadi children. During the initiative, large number of people, including children with piggy banks, gathered with books, toys and other items for donating to the cause.
"I am going out on Bhopal streets with a handcart to collect toys for the children of Anganwadi. It is my one mission to connect people to work. Why should our children remain malnourished? It is not the duty of the Anganwadi worker alone to make them free from malnutrition. There should be awareness in society," Chouhan tweeted before starting his journey.
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The event was a part of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's "adopt an anganwadi" scheme. The CM was flanked by state medical education minister Vishwav Sarang and MLA and former Bhopal mayor Krishna Gaur.
Reacting to the initiative, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar praised Chouhan and wised him more power. "I will be very happy if I can do anything for the Anganwadi kids. It's a wonderful cause and I wish more power to you," the actor tweeted.
Even poet-turned-politician Kumar Vishwas took to Twitter and congratulated the Chief Minister. Vishwas also said he was sending "a few self-written children-literature and other necessary books for the kids".
Swami Avdheshanand also praised the initiative, while Nobel Laureate and Bachpan Bachao Andolan's Kailash Satyarthi tweeted that it was the "joint responsibility along with the government to ensure security, education and health of children".
He also asserted that it was necessary that in such initiatives, social organisations, religious gurus, corporate world, government and citizens come forward to save childhood.
Meanwhile, Congress was not impressed by the initiative and state President and former CM Kamal Nath termed it to be an "event-drama".
"Chouhan never does anything that he is supposed to do. Whenever there is time to do anything, or to fulfil responsibilities, he instead indulges in making an event-drama," Nath said.