A conference by members of Project Shakti, an initiative undertaken by Anand Murti Guru Maa, was held here today at a city hotel.

Varinder Sachdeva, president of Project Shakti, Ludhiana, said Anand Murti Guru Maa felt the need to start Project Shakti to empower the girl child. She and other followers felt that the sex ratio between the girls and boys in Punjab was really skewed up and gravely affecting the social scenario. This was all a result of the obnoxious practice of female foeticide.

Under Project Shakti, the girls will be empowered through education so that they become financial independent. Hence daughters of widows, war widows, and poor families will be given free education. Moreover, to create awareness in society, a play “Maa Mainu Maarin Na”, written and directed by Nirmal Rishi, will be staged in Guru Nanak Bhawan on Thursday.