Guj sex ratio dips: Report

The Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in Gujarat fell to 848 women per 1000 men in 2016, as per a report.
Alarmed by the dip, the state government is looking forward to engage various stake-holders to check further slide in the numbers of the girl child.
As per the report of Sample Registration System prepared by the Registrar General of India and released recently, the SRB stood at 854 women per 1000 men in 2015.
"The number came down further to 848 women in 2016 as per the report," said Dr Jayanti Ravi, Commissioner of Health, at a press conference held here today.

"We have taken this data, which is based on a survey, quite seriously. This issue of declining numbers of the girl child at birth has been taken up by the state government as a priority area and we are committed to convert it into a people's movement," said Dr Ravi.
To stop the female foeticide, considered as one of the reasons for declining sex ratio, Dr Ravi said the administration will implement the PC&PNDT Act of 1994 in a strict manner across the state.

To spread the message of 'Save Girl Child', Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries would gift silver coins to all the girl children born on the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, she said.

"As part of this celebrations, all the girl children born on March 8 will be gifted with flowers and sweets. The CM, deputy CM, collectors and elected representative will visit houses of the newborn girls and gift silver coins of 5 gram to each of them," said the Health Commissioner.
Besides, the government functionaries including the chief minister and his deputy Nitin Patel would make personal appeals to various organisations and social leaders to take up this issue and create a mass movement to improve the situation, she added.