Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will bring the same kind of joy that people felt when Lord Ram returned home after defeating Ravan.

The ceremony will be held on January 22 and it is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the Sashtipurti Mahotsav (60th birth anniversary) of Sadhvi Ritambhara here, Khattar said the consecration ceremony will bring the same kind of happiness that people felt when Lord Ram returned home after defeating Ravan.

He also lauded the role of Sadhvi Ritambhara in the Ram temple movement.

On 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', the chief minister said the slogan was first raised in Haryana to draw people's attention to the issues of sex ratio and girl child education.

"In 2014, when I took over as the chief minister of Haryana, the prime minister had pointed out that the sex ratio was continuously decreasing in the state," Khattar said.

"We are happy that we took up that challenge in a healthy manner and today the sex ratio in Haryana has improved to 932 from 871. Now our aim is to take it above 950," the chief minister said.

Khattar said Haryana is currently facing a rise in cases of drug abuse among the youth. "Last year, in May, I had organised a programme and invited the sant samaj (seers) and sought cooperation in combating this. The coming generations are being affected. I appeal to social organisations, social workers and people to cooperate in this direction to save our young from drugs," Khattar said.

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