Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar   

Drop in female population causes concern

KARIMNAGAR: In the wake of the alarming decline female population in the country due to female foeticide, speakers at a sensitisation workshop on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC, PNDT) Act, 1994, on Friday stressed the need for launching a massive campaign against female genocide (sex-selective abortions and killing of females).

The speakers said that the declining female population would cause social imbalance. “Woman gives birth and sustains human life on earth, is emotionally attached to parents and has more concern and responsibility towards society. She is by no means less competent than men, but still the girls are killed even before they could see the light of the world,” they lamented.

The workshop was organised by the District Medical and Health Department at Swashakthi College. Additional Joint Collector J. Seshaiah, IMA senior leader V. Bhoom Reddy, resource person Kalpana, DMHO Sharada, representatives of various NGOs, medical practitioners, ultrasound scanning centre practitioners and others were also present. The speakers stated that the gap in male and female sex ratio was increasing drastically. The 2001 Census stated that for every 1,000 boys, only 933 girls were born in the country and in Andhra Pradesh, it was 978 girls for every 1,000 boys. In Karimnagar district, it was 962 girls for 1,000 boys. They said that the people were scared of the ever increasing dowry menace and resorting to female genocide.

Stressing on the need to launch a massive campaign in the district against female foeticide, the speakers said that the girls were more emotional to their parents during their old age. They said that the people should be educated about the importance of having a girl child instead of killing her in the womb. The meeting also discussed penal action against the ultrasound scanning centres which encouraged female foeticide.

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