India and sex selection conundrum

·         CSR declined from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011

·         Immediately government acted by putting in place a supervisory board for PNDT

·         Rate of decline in CSR seen in both urban and rural areas

·         This depsite legal provisions, incetives and media campaigns

Faulty policy

·         State policy ahs been focused on regulating access to technology that enables sex selection

·         It is based onr ationale that lack of access will lead to reduced demand for determination of sex

·         However this has led to curtailment of right of women to safe and elgal abortion under termination of pregnancy act 1975

Government steps

·         Announced a national girl child day in 2009

·         Beti bachao campaign

·         Incetives to BPL families for incentivising birth of girl child

Way ahead

·         The reason for prevalence of sex selective abortions in India against girld child are

o   Cultural attitude

o   Patriarchal prejudice

o   Socioeconomic pressures

o   Misuse of technology

o   Lack of old age social security

o   Inheritance laws

·         There is a need for a holistic policy to address each of these problems

·         China  adopted policies to

o   Promote gender equality

o   Increase female workforce

o   Ensure old age security

·         Each out to primary decision makers and decision supporters through targeted media campaigns

Article copied from : http://iasblogz.blogspot.in/2012/01/india-and-sex-selection-conundrum.html