(a) the improvement registered in the girl child sex ratio in the aftermath
of the implementation of various schemes for girl child:
(b) whether the Government proposes to launch campaign in this regard to
further improve the child sex ratio and also include public representatives in such awareness campaign the funds allocated to them for the purposes; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT(SHRIMATI KRISHNA TIRATH)
(a): According to Census of India 2011, the ratio of girl children in the age
group of 0-6 years (child sex ratio) declined from 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011.
(b) & (c): The Government recognizes that the problem of declining child sex
ratio in India is not an isolated phenomenon but must be seen in the context of
the low status of women and the girl child as a whole, within the home and outside.
Accordingly, the Government has undertaken a number of measures to improve survival
and status of girl children in the country. While programmes for improvement of
nutrition benefit all children including girl children, like the Integrated Child
Development Scheme, National Rural Health Mission, Mid-day meal scheme etc.,
specific interventions for girl children include implementing the Pre Conception
and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques(Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994,
pilot cash transfer scheme of ‘Dhanlakshmi’, setting up a Sectoral Innovation
Council for improving child sex ratio and acting upon its recommendations, and
the pilot scheme ‘Sabla’ for a comprehensive Intervention for adolescent girls
in the age group of 11-18, with a focus on out of school girls in select 200
districts of the country. Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development
has recommended to the States and other Central Ministries and Departments that
all public servants take a pledge on 9th August 2012 on Eliminating Gender
Based Sex-Selection and Violence against Women.
During the Twelfth Plan, the elected representatives particularly at the third
tier of governance, i.e. Panchayats are envisaged to have a large role to play
in advocacy and campaign against gender biased sex selection. As are reported
in the media, Panchayats in certain parts of the country are playing a very
proactive role in this regard on their own. On part of Ministry of Women and
Child Development, the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW), has
in association with the Ministry of Panchayat Raj, scheduled interventions at
select pilot districts to address the problem of declining child sex ratio by
involving the PRIs. Specific funds have not been earmarked for public
representatives for the purpose.