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For the first time in 10 years, Haryana's sex ratio has crossed the 900-mark with 903 girls per thousand boys. Here's why it matters.
For the first time in 10 years, Haryana’s sex ratio has crossed the 900-mark with 903 girls per thousand boys. Here’s why it matters.
There has been a remarkable improvement in Haryana’s sex ratio which has crossed the 900-mark for the first time in a decade. The sex ratio at birth of the state for the month of December 2015 stands at 903 girls per 1000 boys. Out of 12 districts in Haryana, Sirsa topped the chart with 999 girls per 1000 boys. While 10 other districts had sex ratio over 900, Jhajjar was lowest on the list with 794 girls per 1000 boys.
Along with sharing these details, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the state now aims to achieve sex ratio of above 950 within the next 6 months.
Khattar has credited the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ programme, which was launched by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi from Panipat in Haryana on January 22 last year for the improvement in the sex ratio of the state. The Prime Minister had also praised the state’s effort in promoting welfare of the girl child including the ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign in India and abroad.
Along with these soft measures, tough action has been taken in Haryana for protecting the girl child. Haryana has had a dismal sex ratio. The state has records of high rates of female foeticide. Haryana is a place which is infamous for killing daughters at birth. Today Haryana is making efforts to save the daughters.
Strict measures have been taken in Haryana to implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
According to the Chief Minister, “As many as 58 and 72 FIRs were registered under the provisions of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts, respectively, from June 2015, till date. 18 cases of sale of sex selection drugs to ensure birth of male child were registered and about 50 FIRs were lodged for illegal sale of MTP kits. Apart from this, prominent personalities like ex-MLA, Indri, Karnal, who was caught red-handed while getting a sex detection test conducted, were put behind bars.”
In an attempt to end female foeticide, the state had also announced a scheme to award Rs 1 lakh to anyone who reports a case of violation of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts. So, far 17 people have been awarded.
These measures form a major step in preventing a girl child from being killed before birth and being disposed off as undesirable objects. Welcoming girls into this world and celebrating their birth is the beginning of empowering them and ensuring a better future for them.
Recently in Haryana, in December, an old man organized a grand feast treating people of five villages to celebrate the birth of his granddaughter. Such instances help in developing a positive perspective towards the birth of a daughter and help in building the collective consciousness of a society in the direction of equality and women empowerment.
Image via Shutterstock
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