Alarming decline in sex ratio in Kangra

dharamsala:the increasing gap in the sex ratio may be a wake up call for the state government. in the 1981 census the ratio of girls to boys was 968 girls per 1000. by 2001 the gap between girls and boys had increased significantly to 897 girls per 1000 boys.the situation was worst in the three districts of kangra, una and hamirpur where the number of girls in the 0-6 age group touched a low of 838, 840 and 865 respectively. the constantly falling population of girls to boys could have farreaching social implications according to experts. one of the major factors behind the sharp decline in ratio of the girls are sex-determination tests and abortion of female fetuses, with the practice spreading to himachal. some of the girls and women this correspondent spoke to felt the inclusion of women in decision-making bodies and strict implementation of the laws in this respect could help contain the unethical practice. reeta sharma (name changed), who married three months ago, said that traditionally indian families were obsessed with male children in view of the belief that they can continue the family lineage. she said from the day she stepped into the house of her inlaws, virtually everybody has nurtured the perception that her first child will be a boy. she said sex-determination tests must be completely banned as the facility is abused and puts tremendous pressure on women to go in for abortions. sonali thakur, a post- graduate student, said society has forgotten that woman are the power behind the origin of birth and if the practice continues a day may come when boys will find it difficult to find brides. poonam guleria, another college student, said the decreasing girlboy ratio would have serious repercussions and it was imperative to put an end to the inhuman practice. she said women welfare organisations and ngos should come forward to create awareness about the damage done by forcing women to undergo sex- determination tests. dr. s.k. sharma, the head of the sociology department, said the empowerment of women was a must so that they could take their decisions independently. he said that at present women have very little knowledge about female sexuality. k s rana, the director, health department, shimla, said that that the pre-natal diagnostic act would be implemented strictly and the private nursing homes conducting such tests would have to get registration from the concerned chief medical officer of the district. he said nursing homes have been instructed to not disclose the sex of the foetus.