Lucknow, Aug 26 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has now emerged as a saviour for the girl child by asking all public representatives to help fight the female foeticide in the state.
Ms Mayawati has recently written letters to all the people representatives from Gram Pradhans to Members of Parliament to protect girl child by opposing female foeticide in the state.
In the one-page letter written in Hindi, but signed in English, the CM spoke about a social crusade to save girl child and how it has skewed the male-female ratio at the age group of 0-6 years.
''The letters have been sent to all the Members of Parliament, Legislators and Gram Pradhans with a personal request to ensure that each and every girl is saved,'' official sources said.
The UP government took a serious note about the female foeticide when reports came that during 2007-08, 11,940 cases of Medically Terminated Pregnancies (MTPs) were done in Lucknow alone, while during 2006-07, the number of MTPs was 9,522.
Alarmed by this report, the Chief Minister's Office, in collaboration with the Health Department, decided to involve the elected representatives to fight the menace.
''It is a moral as well as social responsibility of the leaders to protect the lives of girls,'' the Chief Minister wrote.
As per the 2001 census, the 0-6 years sex ratio in UP was just 909/1000. Other backward states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh had better ratio with Bihar recording 942/1000 and MP 932/1000. Punjab had the worst ratio of 798/1000, followed by its neighbour Haryana 819/1000.
According to an estimate in 2007, sex ratio in UP was 898/1000.
The average ratio stood at 932/1000.
''In a state where 898 girls against 1,000 boys survive speaks volume about the atrocities committed against the girl child,'' Chief Minister added.
The cash-rich western UP with better education rate is in fact the worst offender. Baghpat (847), Agra (849), Ghaziabad (851), Bulandshahr (866), Hathras (881) and Aligarh (886) have recorded sex-ratio (0-6 years) less than state's average.
Social activists believe that the level of higher education has little to do with female foeticide. Dr S P Pandey, President of the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Studies in Rural Development said, ''Prosperity ensures better infrastructure, more machines and more doctors to perform tests. People use money power to access clinics for sex determination of foetus and pay for the tests.'' The Union Government had banned sex determination of foetus through Pre-natal diagnostic technique (Regulation and Prevention of Mis-use) Act, 1994. The offender could get five years of rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 10,000.
UNI MB SB ATI BST1321
Ms Mayawati has recently written letters to all the people representatives from Gram Pradhans to Members of Parliament to protect girl child by opposing female foeticide in the state.
In the one-page letter written in Hindi, but signed in English, the CM spoke about a social crusade to save girl child and how it has skewed the male-female ratio at the age group of 0-6 years.
''The letters have been sent to all the Members of Parliament, Legislators and Gram Pradhans with a personal request to ensure that each and every girl is saved,'' official sources said.
The UP government took a serious note about the female foeticide when reports came that during 2007-08, 11,940 cases of Medically Terminated Pregnancies (MTPs) were done in Lucknow alone, while during 2006-07, the number of MTPs was 9,522.
Alarmed by this report, the Chief Minister's Office, in collaboration with the Health Department, decided to involve the elected representatives to fight the menace.
''It is a moral as well as social responsibility of the leaders to protect the lives of girls,'' the Chief Minister wrote.
As per the 2001 census, the 0-6 years sex ratio in UP was just 909/1000. Other backward states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh had better ratio with Bihar recording 942/1000 and MP 932/1000. Punjab had the worst ratio of 798/1000, followed by its neighbour Haryana 819/1000.
According to an estimate in 2007, sex ratio in UP was 898/1000.
The average ratio stood at 932/1000.
''In a state where 898 girls against 1,000 boys survive speaks volume about the atrocities committed against the girl child,'' Chief Minister added.
The cash-rich western UP with better education rate is in fact the worst offender. Baghpat (847), Agra (849), Ghaziabad (851), Bulandshahr (866), Hathras (881) and Aligarh (886) have recorded sex-ratio (0-6 years) less than state's average.
Social activists believe that the level of higher education has little to do with female foeticide. Dr S P Pandey, President of the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Studies in Rural Development said, ''Prosperity ensures better infrastructure, more machines and more doctors to perform tests. People use money power to access clinics for sex determination of foetus and pay for the tests.'' The Union Government had banned sex determination of foetus through Pre-natal diagnostic technique (Regulation and Prevention of Mis-use) Act, 1994. The offender could get five years of rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 10,000.
UNI MB SB ATI BST1321
Oneindia Login