Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday asked officers to spend at least one hour every month in areas where social evils like witch-hunting still exist. She was addressing a State-level workshop on the prevention of witch hunting and prohibition of child marriage, organised by the Women and Child Development (W&CD) department. Noting the pivotal role of women in the State’s rural economy, she stressed that education and sustained awareness are the most powerful tools to eradicate regressive practices such as witch-hunting and child marriage.

She called upon the participating officers from different districts to proactively visit villages for at least one hour each month to create awareness against superstition and social evils. Parida, who is in charge of the department, urged officers to act not merely out of administrative duty but with a strong sense of humanity and social responsibility. She said the State government was committed to providing a healthy, progressive, and superstition-free society for future generations.