'Save the girl child' talk of Silk City

Berhampur: Female foeticides and atrocities against women were the dominant themes of Raahagiri in Silk City on Sunday with popular folk dance of Ganjam - Prahallad Nataka - being the main draw of the weekly event.

The organizers conducted a signature campaign as participants created awareness on female foeticides and called one and all to join the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme, which aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services meant for women.

The campaign assumes significance considering the fact thatGanjam has a lower child sex ratio than the state average.

The child sex ratio in Ganjam district was 908 girls per 1,000 boys as per the last census in 2011. Sources said it was lower than the state average, which stood at 941 girls per 1000 boys.

The declining sex ratio in the district may be attributed to parents' preference of sons to daughters. "Every individual should pledge to treat their daughter on a par with their son," said vice chancellor, Berhampur University, Deepak Behera. He lauded the participants for keeping the crowd entertained and driving home serious messages at the same time.