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| Govt. won't allow bias against girl child | | Nearly 20 million females have been eliminated | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, OCT. 5: An estimated 20 million females in India have been eliminated following sex determination tests, despite the fact that Indian law prohibits such tests for this very reason. Prosecutions of a number of mothers involved in the crime have not done away with the female infanticide or foeticide.
In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, for example, such practices have been on the rise, and prosecutions of several mothers involved in female infanticide or foeticide have not deterred others. One of the reasons behind the phenomenon is preference for male children, especially among illiterate and rural families.
Other reasons include extreme poverty, in which case parents would fail to meet the tradition of paying their daughters' dowries. Add to this a belief that girls would bring depleted fortune. Second, India faces the problem of adverse sex ratio, a natural consequence of female infanticide and sex-selection abortions. The current ratio at the national level is 900 females to every 1,000 males, but the scene in some States is even worse. In Haryana, for example, the sex ratio is down to 796 per 1,000 males, making it difficult for local young men to find brides. New Delhi's sex ratio, however, is said to be the worst with one study claiming that just 219 girls being born for every 1,000 boys.
The government of India has already announced that every girl from single child families, regardless of income groups, would be eligible for free education from Classes VI to XII at all schools across the country that are funded by, or affiliated to, the government. Besides, every girl will get a monthly scholarship of Rs800 which would be increased to Rs1,000 at the undergraduate level and to Rs2,000 at the post-graduation level. In the case of families with two girl children, both will be entitled to a concession in education fees of up to 50 per cent.
The new plan, effective from the next academic year, was described by many activists and campaigners for social justice as a revolutionary step towards addressing the bias against the girl child in India, where social prejudices and traditions have denied her equal opportunities. The move and consequent measures, however, are aimed at tackling several issues simultaneously. Some of these are targeted by the United Nations Millennium Development Programme.
First, the scheme is aimed at curbing decades of female foeticide and infanticide. The scheme, therefore, is expected to bolster India's dwindling female population and save Indian society from many negative consequences.
Authors of a new book titled 'The Security Implications of Asia's Surplus Male Population' argue that India, as well as China, are set for massive internal instability if the gender imbalance continues. Third, the new measures are aimed at promoting education of girls in a country where 60 per cent of the female population is illiterate and over two thirds of them live in rural areas.
According to official statistics, girls account for only 43 per cent of enrolment at primary stage and 39 per cent at the upper primary stage. It is expected that free or reduced cost education for girls and monthly cash payments would tempt couples not to have additional children after a girl in the hope of a male child.
This is in line with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's view that forcing people to restrict the size of their families is not the way to control population growth in India. He believes that focus should be on empowering people through improving education, health and standards of living, as this would automatically promote family planning.
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