|
Govt to 'cradle' girl child Offers To Adopt Abandoned Babies To Curb Female Foeticide TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: "Don't kill your daughter. The government will raise her.'' Alarmed by a declining sex ratio due to female foeticide, the government has an offer to make to parents who extinguish a new life-a 'palna' or 'cradle' scheme in districts under which girl children can be left to the care of official agencies. The government seems to feel that such a scheme-bound to attract its share of critics-is a way to check an inhuman trend. The scheme, to be implemented by the ministry of women and child development in coordination with state governments, is likely to be put in place during the 11th five-year plan as part of measures to fight the menace of female foeticide. "We want to put a cradle or palna in every district headquarters. What we are saying to the people is: have your children, don't kill them. And if you don't want a girl child, leave her to us,'' minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury told a news agency. "We will bring up the children. But don't kill them because there really is a crisis situation,'' she added. Asked what if the scheme encouraged more families to abandon their girl children, Chowdhury said: "It doesn't matter. It is better than killing them.'' The minister said that parents, even if they have abandoned their daughters, are likely to have a change of heart later. "Parents who abandon children do come back and take them back,'' she said. Chowdhury said that through the cradle scheme, the government would at least ensure that the gene pool is maintained. "We do not have enough girls. As it is, states are importing girls from here and there,'' she said. The sex ratio in the country has been recorded at as low as 933 females per 1,000 males in the 2001 census. Northern states fare the worst, with national capital Delhi having the lowest sex ratio at 821. In Haryana, the sex ratio has been recorded at 861, while Punjab is only slightly better with a figure of 876. Chowdhury said the practice was spreading to more states. "It's alarming that even liberal states like those in the North-East have taken to disposing of girls,'' she said. Publication:Times of India Mumbai; Date:Feb 19, 2007; Section:Front Page; Page Number:1 URL : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzAyLzE5I0FyMDAxMDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom |
