Madhya Pradesh launches 'Save Girl Child' campaign

To spend Rs 100 cr on publicity of a 3-pronged strategy.

A skewed sex ratio that the 2011 Census threw up in the case of Madhya Pradesh, particularly among its elite social strata, has prompted the state government to implement a three-pronged strategy to remedy the grave socio-demographic issue.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the “Beti Bachao Abhiyan” (Save the Girl Child campaign) on Tuesday with a view to ensure that the state’s future population maintained a healthy balance in its numbers of boys and girls.

The endeavour comes after the present trend portended a situation where more than 28 million boys in the state would be forced to remain single by 2050, courtesy female foeticide and in fanticide that stemmed from a deep-rooted gender bias.The sex ratio, Chouhan noted, had gone down to alarmingly low levels in the districts of Gwalior, Bhind, Morena, Datia and Rewa. “Amazingly, a backward and tribal-dominated district like Balaghat has posted encouraging figures (1,021 girls over 1,000 male children),” he pointed out.

 

The CM said he felt hurt to see census results that revealed Indore district, which boasts of high literacy rate, sound economic growth and a civilised society, posted discouraging sex-ratio figures when it came to results from the last census. “It has gone down from 932 (for every 1,000 male child in 2001) to 912 now,” he said here, and invoked Goddess Durga on the occasion of the ongoing puja festival.

A minister in the government said the Rs 100 crore would be spend from the exchequer for the publicity part of the campaign. “It is said that modern lifestyle has not changed the mindset of people and society,” he noted. “We remain conservative to a large extent. That needs to change.”

The minister chose not to disclose the money the government would spend on the campaign, but said it would ride on a three-point strategy: create awareness through social and religious organisations, eradicate sex determination tests and introduce strict laws to counter the menace in its totality.”

The CM will host a mega programme at his residence in the state capital, where he, along with his cabinet colleagues and fellow leaders of the ruling BJP, would perform a ‘Paad Pujan’ (feet worship) of girls from various families. The occasion, sources said, would also see Chouhan announcing some schemes for girls.

The CM has also mobilised party workers to make the drive a success. “I would not only honour girls who have excelled in their field, but also their parents who have encouraged the girl child to move ahead. This way I hope to shed the stigma our society attaches to the girl child and view her a burden,” he added.