Female foeticide an area of concern: Govt

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today admitted in the Lok Sabha that the declining trend in the sex ratio was a matter of concern.

Replying to a calling attention motion, Dr Ramadoss said the sex ratio in India had declined from 972 in 1901 to 927 in 1991. Census 2001 figures have revealed that the sex ratio in the country has, however, improved in the last decade. The national figures of 927 females per 1000 males in the Census 1991 has moved to 933 in 2001, he added.

He said research studies on the declining sex ratio and female foeticide revealed that a strong son preference and a low valuation of girls, increasing dowry demands, difficulties in bringing up a girl child, easy availability of ultrasound and abortion services by various private clinics were the main reasons for the increase in female foeticide in the country.

Mr Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI), who raised raised the issue, said the Minister's reply was not satisfactory and did not mention the steps the Government was planning to take in order to check this alarming situation.

He said the Minister had selectively quoted figures and not taken note of the UNICEF or the Indo-Canadian report on Female Foeticide in India.

He said not only the poor but rather the urban rich class was indulging in this practise.

He said the rich State of Punjab was at the top of the list on Female Foeticide with 798 girls per 1000 boys and was closely followed by Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Arunachal Praesh.

He said to some extent, even his own State of West Bengal was witnessing the female foeticide.

The exceptions in the case were Kerala, Puducherry and Lakshadweep Islands.

He said according to a report released by the UNICEF, female foeticide was prevalent in over 80 per cent of India.

Similarly, in another report released by the Indo-Canadian group, over one crore girls died in their mother's womb in the last 20 years.

He said it would result in a huge gender imbalance and also increase the spread of HIV.

Mr L N Pandey (BJP), participating in the discussion, said it was a fact that more foeticides were taking place in the rich States and urged the Goverment to give incentives for the development of the girl child.

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