New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written to all chief ministers expressing concern over the declining sex ratio and urged them to act swiftly to tackle what he described as a major challenge.
In the letter, the prime minister has asked the states to effectively monitor implementation of the ban on pre-natal sex determination tests.
According to official sources, the prime minister has asked the chief ministers to address the issue immediately and has sought feedback from the states on how to tackle the problem.
‘This is a matter of serious concern and it is with great anguish that I write to you on this very important subject,’ the prime minister said in his letter.
‘The disaggregated data for states and UTs reveal a picture that is even more alarming than the average child sex ratio for the country,’ the prime minister wrote.
According to the preliminary figures of Census 2011 released last week, child sex ratio (0-6) declined to reach an all-time low of 914, compared to 927 in the 2001 census. The total number of children in the age group of 0-6 is 15.88 crore in the 2011 census, while it was 16.38 crore in 2001.
The prime minister noted that implementation of the law banning pre-natal sex determination ‘continues to be a challenge in most areas’.
‘The need of the hour is to strengthen monitoring and inspection mechanisms for strict and effective implementation of the law by states and Union Territories,’ he said.
