Skewed child sex ratio in one-third of Odisha rings alarm bells

27 September, 2012

All is not well for girl child in Odisha. Child sex ratio in the state has declined drastically from 953 in the 2001 Census to 934 in 2011. While this in itself is bad enough, what is even more alarming is that one third of districts in the state have a sex ratio of less than 1000: 900 at birth.

DATA FROM from the 2011 Census indicates that there had been an alarming rise in the incidence of sex determination and sex selective elimination in the preceding decade in the state, particularly in the central and coastal districts.

These were some of the worrying figures that emerged at a colloquium on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act for district collectors, organised by Odisha State Legal Service Authority (OSLSA) in association with department of Health and Family Welfare and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at Hotel Mayfair here today.

The status of the girl child is particularly bad in four districts, namely Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Angul and Ganjam. The child sex ratios in these four districts are 851, 870, 884 and 899 respectively, as per the 2011 census. The child sex ratio in five districts had declined by 40 to 50 points and even tribal districts like Sundargarh, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput have registered an alarming decline of child sex ratio ranging from 37 points in Sundargarh to 23 points in Koraput district, as per the census 2001 and 2011 data.

Speaking on the occasion, Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout called for a massive awareness campaign to eradicate this social evil. "This is a social issue and no government or law can put an end to it unless there is a change in the mindset of the people," he said. But he assured that the Government, on its part, would take stringent action against those who violate the PCPNDT Act.

As many as 27 cases have been registered under the Act in the state so far, of which ten cases are being heard by the courts.