Not A Single Girl Child Was Born In 132 Villages Of Uttarkashi In 3 Months

At a time when the government is leaving no stone unturned against the battle of India’s declining sex ratio, with vigourous promotions of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme underway, a baffling report of sex ratio at birth data revealed that no girl had been born in 132 villages in Uttarkashi district in the past 3 months. According to the figures collected by the health department, it was discovered that out of the total 213 deliveries that took place, not a single girl child was among the newborns. This statistic is not just a coincidence, but is a clear indication of the rising number of female foeticides that take place in the district. As a response to this concern, the administration has marked the villages under red zone and has put local ASHA (accredited social health activists) workers on its radar.

Gangotri MLA Gopal Rawat expressed his distress regarding the state health department’s data and said, “It is shocking to have zero female child births in 132 villages of the district, as we have rarely heard or seen any incident of female foeticide in hills.” Uttarkashi’s DM Ashish Chauhan announced that all the activities and date from these villages will be carefully monitored for the next 6 months, and strict action will be taken against ASHA workers if the situation does not improve. Moreover, legal action will also be taken against families that are found guilty of the crime.

According to UN reports, India has been termed as the ‘most dangerous place to be born as a girl’, testified by the horrifying 8 million cases of female foeticide that have occurred in the country over the past decade. In spite of a large number of laws that aim at preventing this atrocious crime, the implementation of these acts has been negligent and inadequate. The only long term solution is a change in the patriarchal attitudes of the population, and a realisation that daughters are not a burden to the family, but can be equally contributing members if given the right opportunities and scope.

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