WISE WORDS IV- FROM A "PREMIUM" PRIME MINISTER

PM Manmohan Singh said recently:
The female foeticide figures for 2001 showed that Punjab had only 798 girls (per 1000 boys) Haryana 819, Delhi 868 and Gujarat 883. The child sex ratio statistics in the 0- 6 years old group for the past few decades as have shown a continuous decline. The decline in number of girls per 1000 boys from 962 in 1981 to 927 in the year 2001 was alarming
“I urge every citizen to step forward and help in empowering the girl child. The action must begin at home, in our families. I do not say this as a prime minister of India. I say this as a proud father of 3 daughters. I wish for every girl in our country what I wish for my own daughters. Social discrimination against women begins in our homes and even before the child is born. One of the most inhuman, uncivilised and reprehensible practices is the female foeticide. The patriarchal mindset and the preference for male children are compounded by unethical conduct on the part of some medical practitioners who illegally offer sex determination services. We must overcome this great problem by social awareness and strict enforcement of the Pre- Conception and Pre- Natal Diagnostics Technique Act. Female illiteracy, obscurantist social practices, like child marriage and early marriage dowry, poor nutritional entitlements and taboos on woman in public places making the Indian women and especially the Indian girl child extremely vulnerable. The National Literacy Mission should be reoriented to improve the female literacy and challenge the adverse sex ratio in the country.”

Indeed wise words from a wise man. Myself I still think that the control of sex determination will not give any improvement to the figures, the improvement has to be come out of the families and the mindset of the people as stipulated before.