By IANS,
New Delhi : Concerned at India’s child sex ratio declining to 914 females per 1,000 males, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath Thursday said she would take up the matter with “problem states”.
According to Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli, who released the provisional data for Census 2011, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) has declined from 927 females per 1,000 males born in 2001 to 914 females per 1,000 males.
“It is good to note that the overall sex ratio in the country has increased by seven points over 2001 and that the literacy rate has gone up to 74.04 percent from 64.83 percent. Percentage growth in literacy during 2001-2011 for females is 49.10 percent, which is a good sign,” Tirath said during an interaction with the media.
“However, it is a matter of concern that the child sex ratio has declined. I will take up the issue with the problem states and stress for proper implementation of women and child development schemes,” she added.
There has been an increasing trend in the child sex ratio in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, in the remaining 27 states and union territories, the child sex ratio has shown a decline over census 2001.
Mizoram has the highest child sex ratio of 971 followed by Meghalaya with 970. Haryana is at the bottom with the ratio of 830 followed by Punjab with 846.
Girl child campaigners say the imbalance is there because parents continue to view daughters as financial liabilities and male children as wage earners.
“It (the census figures) was expected but it is a warning signal for the nation to wake up,” equality campaigner Ranjana Kumari, director of Centre for Social Research, told IANS.
These are, however, only preliminary figures and the final population count will be released only next year.