NEW DELHI: Shocking it may sound, but the truth is that it’s the educated and the rich who practice female foeticide most.
Quoting surveys and studies in this regard, the minister of state for Women and Child Development (WCD) Renuka Chowdhury said: “Contrary to belief, surveys have shown that the practice of female foeticide and sex determination tests is not prevalent in rural areas. Science and technology is being used to kill girl child. Urban areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajashthan, Gujarat, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have shown some shocking sex ratio.”
Declaring girl child as an endangered species India has sounded Red Alert and decided to dedicate next ten years to the girl child. During the decade necessary measures will be taken to empower women. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has chalked out a national plan with measurable goals to be achieved by 2010. Elaborating it, Chowdhury said that a National Plan of Action to operationalise the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women will be submitted to Cabinet soon.
"We will also launch a Palna (cradle) scheme, where we will ask people to give the girl child to government orphanages instead of killing them," Chowdhury added.
In order to create women-friendly behaviour at the police stations, the WCD officials will give demonstrations at the police stations to create awareness about registration of complaint, type of information necessary to file FIR and registration of cases under proper provisions of various laws.
While more employment avenues for women will be created in the service sector, the government is roping in corporate sector to help in capacity building. Arrangements have been made with organisations like Maruti Udyog for training of women as drivers in public transport, Apollo Hospitals for training in nursing, Hyatt Regency Hotels for training in house-keeping, bakery and food preservation and with Delhi Police for training in Karate and self-defence techniques.
