Bhopal, Oct 11 : Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said the incidents of crime (rape) against minor girls upset him a lot.

On the occasion of Navami (the ninth day of Navaratri), Chouhan made an appeal that the people need to take a pledge that every woman would be respected.

"Daughters are the form of Goddess and on the occasion of Navratri, we all should take a pledge that every woman should live with full respect and dignity," Chouhan said.

On the occasion of Navami, veteran BJP leader along with his wife Sadhna Singh organised 'Kanya bhoj' at their residence here in Bhopal.

Like every year during the Navratri, Chouhan along with his wife Sadhna Singh worshipped the girls as manifestations of Goddess Durga in a traditional way and offered them gifts on this occasion.

"Today when I worshipped daughters and fed them, I felt as if Goddess herself had come. My request to all the countrymen is to respect the daughters and honour them," Chouhan said.

Chouhan's new residence in Bhopal is known as 'Mama Ka Ghar' -- the title he has earned through his popular flagship 'Ladli Laxmi' Yojana'. The scheme was introduced during his second tenure as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2008.

Under this scheme, the state government provides a gross amount of Rs one 1 lakh to the newly born girl child. Chouhan's government had then set up a proper mechanism for the implementation of this scheme, connecting it with Anganwadi.

/IANS