UP urges Sania, Shabana to pitch in 'Beti Bachao Abhiyan'

Varanasi, Nov 26 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh Social Welfare Board today urged women icons including tennis sensation Sania Mirza, Gandhi Peace Prize awardee Shabana Azmi and social activist Medha Patekar to associate with the 'Beti Bachao Abhiyan' -- a committed statewide public awareness drive against female foeticide.

Board chairperson and social activist Anjana Prakash told newspersons here ''the Board urges one and all celebrities especially female icons like Sania Mirza, badminton prodigy Saina Nehwal, cine actor Shabana Azmi and social activist Medha Patekar to actively associate with the 'Beti Bachao Abhiyan'.'' The 'Abhiyan' is a committed statewide public awareness drive started by the Board from Lucknow on July 9 this year against the unethical practice of sex-determination of the feotus and subsequent female foeticide. ''The unethical and illegal practice of female foeticide has caused a steady decline in the sex ratio in the country which presently stood at 933:1000. The condition in UP absymal with the sex ratio standing at 896:1000,'' Ms Prakash maintained.

The drive is aimed at changing the public mindset towards the girl child and also educating the commoners against the illegal and unethical practice of foeticide, she said.

The next destination of the drive will be Varanasi, where a public rally and educative lecture will be organised tomorrow to sensitise the commoners of this crucial issue, having a direct bearing on declining sex ratio, Ms Prakash added.

The drive being organised in association with UNICEF would later be taken to other parts of the state, including programmes at Saharanpur on December 11, Bareilly on December 19 and Jhansi after that.

''The alarming decline in sex ratio is most prevalent in western UP districts and that is why programmes are being organised in Bareilly and Saharanpur. The programme at Varanasi will cover eleven East UP districts,'' Ms Prakash added.

Ms Prakash further informed that until now, cases of female foeticide have been registered against ten unregistered ultrasound clinics in Agra, Saharanopur and Meerut and seven other genetic clinics in Meerut district.

The western district of Baghpat has the dubious distinction of having the lowest sex ratio in the state and hence, success of the 'Beti Bachao Abhiyan' depends on its performance in West UP, she added.

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