Updated on Saturday, July 04, 2009, 19:18 IST

Mussoorie, July 04: President Pratibha Patil on Saturday asked the administrators to make special efforts to create awareness for education of girls saying that women empowerment is an important factor for comprehensive development of the society.

During an interaction with IAS officers, Patil, who is on a three-day visit to the state, said the administrators have to visit villages to know the difficulties being faced by the girls in attending the schools

"It may be poor economic condition of the families of the girls or elderly girls may be staying at home to look after their younger siblings or it may be social customs preventing them to attend the schools or teachers may be torturing them or there may be problem in mid-day meal programme, you have to visit village to village and school to school to know the exact reason behind their not joining the schools," Patil told IAS officers while attending the golden jubilee celebrations of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) here.

To a question, Patil said accountability and transparency are essential for good governance. She also advised the administrators to work honestly so that benefits of schemes should reach the true beneficiaries.

Referring to media's role, Patil said it has an important role to play "as they are also one of the stakeholders in building the nation.

However, she advised the media to desist from exaggerating things and said it should rather "encourage good people" and help make conducive atmosphere in the country.

The President said decentralisation of power is a way of governance through which the people especially the women at the grass root level become participant in the development of the nation.

Bureau Report