Gender Ratio declines due to foeticides in Kadapa distrct

Kadapa: Killing of infants in the mother womb became common scenario in Kadapa district as the mothers encouraging their daughters to go for abortion if she was confirmed carrying female child. Doctors who proposed to discourage such bad practice, cooperating with the people who were approaching them for abortions with the lust of earning easy money.

In a distributing trend indicative of strong male bias, Kadapa district has recorded a dismal of sex ratio of 919 girls for 1,000 boys in the state, less than the state average of 943 girls per 1000 boys. However there was slight increase witnessed in the female birth ratio up to 952 as per the latest figures disclosed by the government but gender discrimination is rampant in the district averagely at least 5 to 6 abortions are being performed in the hospitals, as the women openly ignored to carry the female child after the scanning reports.

The main reason is age -old belief that the male child will be provided salvation to the family. Second one is financial reasons with the backward area like kadapa most of the families who were struggle for existence feared of their failure in brought aspect if having girl.

There are so many instances people willfully approaching private doctors for abortions due to poor economy status. " Yes it is open secret several families performing such bad practice due to lack of proper financial sources " said CPI general secretary G. Eswaraiah to Hans India.

The third and most important reason if failure of the government mechanism in preventing feticides as it has been indirectly encouraging private hospitals for performing abortions by not check the sex determination tests in the private scanning centers.

Despite there was stringent law called PC-PNDT Act-1994, no significance of the government conducting awareness camps among the people that gender determination test is a crime and a non-bail able offense. In the earlier the then district collector KV.Satyanarayana initiated stringent action against the private doctors who were responsible in encouraging illegal abortions. He even went on extent issue orders for arresting two doctors in Proddaturu town on the charges of performing abortions illegally. He also surrendered DM&HO for colluding with private doctor in that aspect.

When contacted by Hans India DM&HO N.UmaSundari said that there was some better improvement witnessing in the gender ratio following the initiative taken by the administration like registering cases against scanning centers responsible for encouraging illegal abortions, bringing awareness in the parents over necessary of protecting female community, , explaining several schemes installed by the state and central governments for girls welfare including Beti-Bachao-Beti Padhao etc. she said.