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Maharashtra plans intensive campaign for better sex ratio

Pune: The Maharashtra Government, facing a skewed sex ratio, had decided to launch an intensive campaign to tackle the issue, Health Minister Suresh Shetty told The Hindu over phone from Mumbai on Friday.

The Marathwada region, which includes Beed, Jalna, and Aurangabad, would be given priority, the Minister said.

According to the 2011 Census, Maharashtra has the State average of child sex ratio (number of girls per 1000 boys between the age of 0 to 6) is 883 while the national average stands at 914. The figures have slipped from 2001, when the State average was 913 whereas the national average was 927.

According to the 2011 census, Beed was the worst affected with a child sex ratio (CSR) of 801 as against 894 in the 2001 census. Jalna's CSR is 847, a fall from 903 in 2001, whereas Aurangabad's is 848, a fall from 890 in the past decade. Similar to these three districts, 30 more districts out of the 35 in the State had registered a decline since the 2001 census of much more than the national average of 1.4 per cent, Mr. Shetty said. This had been a cause of worry, which had made the State government sit up and take notice.

A rise in sex determination tests and sex-selective abortions had been the cause of sharp decline in sex ratio, Mr. Shetty said. “A crackdown on all malpractice is the key to improve the situation. Sonography machine operators will be under a strict scanner,” he added.

“The campaign will be a joint effort of the police, health, and administrative officials. We will chalk out a line of action,” he said.

A joint meeting of the officials concerned in Marathwada would be convened in the first fortnight of June to devise a plan, the Minister said. The eight districts of Beed, Jalna, Aurangabad, Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Hingoli, and Parbhani jointly constituted the Marathwada region. A rise in the neo-rich class, because of economic growth, had given a spurt to the problems.

“Although Beed is known for the illegal sex-selective abortions, people from throughout the State went there. People from western Maharashtra go to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Those who can afford it go abroad. There is a need for widespread vigilance and awareness,” he said.

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Maharashtra plans intensive campaign for better sex ratio

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