Awareness drive improved child sex ratio in Una: DC

Our Correspondent

Una, January 24

The child sex ratio in Una district has improved from 875 in 2015 to 938 girls per 1,000 boys. This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner Raghav Sharma while presiding over a district-level programme on the occasion of National Girl Child Day at Kalyan Bhawan here today.

The child sex ratio is defined as the number of girls per 1,000 boys in the age group 0-5 years in a particular area. With a low figure of 875, Una was the only district from the state to have been included on the list of 100 districts of the country having the worst child sex ratio wherein the Centre’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign had been launched in 2015.

The state government too pitched in with the ‘Beti Hai Anmol’ campaign and sustained awareness drives besides surveillance by the Health, Social Justice and Welfare Departments helped improve the child sex ratio in the district.

The DC said the objective of observing National Girl Child Day was to ensure the safety and security of girls and put a check on female foeticide, besides propagating social awareness regarding gender equality. He said the issues of health, education, employment and equal opportunities to girls was also of significance. The DC recognised the efforts of anganwadi and health workers at the grassroots-level to fight gender bias.

“A number of welfare schemes for the education of girl child have been initiated by the Centre and the state government. Incentives are being given to couples adopting a girl child,” he added.

On the occasion, the DC distributed cheques amounting to Rs 4.57 lakh among the beneficiaries of the Garima and Sambal schemes.

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