The Congress on Wednesday took note of falling child sex ration in the coutry and said that the issue of sex selective abortion was a serious one and needed to be dealt with a heavy hand.

Referring to the census 2011 data on child sex ratio, Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said here that the situation was 'alarming' and  that the Congress condemns the attitudes that have contributed to the falling sex ratio in this demographic.

Concerns over the skewed sex ratio in the country peaked when the recently released census data pegged child sex ratio at 914 girls per 1,000 boys. The 2001 census had reported a figure of 927 girls per 1,000 boys.

Natarajan squarely blamed the poor implementation of the Pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) Act for the high incidence of sex selective abortion in the country.

The reason for this alarming figure is the patriarchal mindset of our society. Such a figure is only indicative of the violence against women," she said.

Saying that gender discrimination begins in the womb itself, the Congress spokesperson added that thegirl child in India routinely suffers from manutrition and lack of education due to such discrimination.

"The skewed sex ratio is proof of atrocities against women. There is a cycle of violence behind the fall over the last decade," she said.

Commenting on measures to curb the incidence of female foeticide, Natarajan said that the Congress is mulling a strict districtwise monitoring of clinics and facilities where the abortions take place.

"There is a need to make people socially and culturally aware of the need for equality and the rights of women," she stated.

"The government should award stringent punishement to those guilty of female foeticide to deter sex selective abortion. The punishment should be exemplary if the perpetrator are educated and of the elite," Natarajan suggested.