Jorhat, Jul 19 (PTI) Two girl students in Assam's Jorhat district on Saturday served as the district commissioner (DC) and additional deputy commissioner for the day.

Both were winners of an essay competition on the topic 'One day as district commissioner', conducted as a part of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' programme. The contest was open for girls of 14-25 years, with winners to get a chance to serve as DC or ADC for a day, along with other prizes.

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Jorhat DC Jay Shivani said the initiative was aimed at encouraging young girls to take an interest in governance.

While postgraduate student Geetashree Sharma served as the district commissioner (DC), class 9 student Sanshita Baruah worked as the additional district commissioner (ADC) for the day, with both gathering an experience of a lifetime.

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"This initiative was meant to encourage young girls to develop an interest in governance and aim high. Geetashree and Sanshita proved to be very capable, showing active interest in the happenings and posing questions whenever they were in doubt," Shivani said.

The DC said they attended a video conference with the Chief Secretary and took an overview of the various responsibilities of the district commissioner's office.

Geetashree, a student of CKB Commerce College in Jorhat, said it was a unique experience for her.

"It was a rare opportunity to observe the working of the highest office in the district from close quarters. We were explained how the policies work and decisions are implemented," she said.

Student of Pragjyotika Senior Secondary School, Titabor, Sanshita was also overwhelmed with the experience.

"It was great to learn that our district is performing well in most developmental parameters," the young girl added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)