Pugilist Aruna Mishra along with Potka MLA Menaka Sardar flagged off an awareness van on gender equality in East Singhbhum district from Aambagan ground in Sakchi on Monday, Jamshedpur.

The move is a part of an awareness campaign - "Garv" - organised by Plan India, a national-level organisation, to spread the message of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. The campaign, which focuses on saving the girl child, and her education and nutrition, is seen as an extension to the National Girl Child Day that was celebrated on January 24.

The awareness van, which was earlier in Ramgarh, will go around various pockets of panchayats in East Singhbhum.

The inaugural ceremony in Sakchi showcased a street play on gender discrimination, especially among siblings.

"Many families mistreat their girls. They are unwilling to spend much on their education and concentrate more on the boys. The campaign targets gender inequality, which will be portrayed through various games and activities," said Kumar Sambhav, representative of Swar, a city-based organisation which provided logistics support.

The entire project is for Ramgarh, East Singhbhum and Dhanbad, covering 16 panchayats. They will cover more rural areas going forward.

On Monday, the awareness van showcased its activities in Khukradih village in Hitku panchayat under Jugsalai block of East Singhbhum. The van first went around the village to gather people, following which men and women engaged themselves in games on gender equality.

Village women received an opportunity to write a message (to save a girl child) on a huge umbrella, which is later handed over to the pradhan. The village head is expected put the umbrella for public display.

"The NGO workers along with village women met families who have a girl child and told about the importance of girls' education and their nutrition. Some of the families also cooked khichdi and vegetables and invited others for lunch. This is a symbolic gesture for their unity and saving girls in other families, too," said Akhtar Hussain, an observer of the programme.

The van will cover three more panchayats in days to come. It has also covered some urban slums in the last couple of days.