President 'shocked' over declining sex ratio

Panipat (Haryana), Jan 15: President Pratibha Patil expressed "shock" over the sex ratio figures in the 2011 Census which she said were the lowest after independence.

"The statistics of 2011 Census were shocking as far as the sex ratio is concerned. "In the age group of 0-6, there were 914 girls per 1,000 boys which was the lowest after independence and an issue of concern," Patil said while addressing an international symposium on women and child empowerment here.

Lauding the initiatives of the Haryana government to check female foeticide, Patil said an improvement in sex ratio in the state was seen in the last few years. She said that she was happy to learn about various schemes and programmes implemented by the state government for women empowerment in the fields of education, health and social welfare.

Calling female foeticide a "heinous crime", Patil said every person should come forward to eradicate this social evil and ensure equal status for women in all spheres of life.

She appealed to social workers and non-government organisations to work for the empowerment of women and said there is a need to generate awareness in the society by changing the perception of people.

Urging people to encourage girls to fight against social evils, Patil said she herself has taken an initiative as per which girls who stand against injustice and set an example for others are invited to the President's House.

PTI