Now raising concern on the dwindling sex ratio, prime minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme from Panipat, Haryana on January 22.

The state of Haryana was selected for the launch of the scheme because of its poor sex ratios as compared to other states of the country. The lowest sex ratio in the state is from Mahendragarh with 775 females per 1000 males.

“We are worst than the people of 18th century if we are practising sex selective abortion (female foeticide) in the 21st century,” said prime minister Narendra Modi while launching the scheme along with union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi and seasoned film actor Madhuri Dixit.

PM described sex selective abortion as a mental illness.

In India, sex ratio has decline from 976 in 1961 to 918 in 2011.

The ambitious project by the central government however has challenges ahead of it.

In a society where sex selective abortion is practised for various reasons one of which also includes the property inheritance, balancing sex ratio is a daunting task. Reasons such as dowry, mentality that considers girls as liability and having a son is the only way to carry forward family’s generation, unethical practices prevalent among certain doctors and

According to an estimate by the united nations population fund (India), the practice of sex selection has resulted in the loss of approximately 5.7 lakh girls annually during 2001-2008 .

In certain parts Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra where this figure is less than 850 girls for every 1000 boys.

According to the annual health survey 2012-2013 (second updation) Bijnor, Agra, Badaun, Firozabad, Varanasi, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Sawai Madhopur and Gwalior have 850 girls per 1000 boys at the time of birth.

With a low sex ratio of 868 (census 2011) Delhi is among the top five states/Union Territories with low child sex ratio followed by Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.

 Goal and objectives:

 The scheme is a joint initiative by department of women and child development, department of human resource and department and health and family welfare. Apart from the goals listed below, a 'Gudda-Guddi board' will also be maintained for each district mentioning the child sex ratio and other gender data.
 

• Celebrate the girl child and provide her education
   
• Prevent sex selective abortion
   
• Ensure protection and survival of the girl child

 
What people can contribute
 

• Welcome the girl child

• Oppose the anti-girl child mentality

• Find ways to promote equality between boys and girls

• Report cases of sex determination or sex selective abortion.
   
• Make the environment safe and violence free for girls and women.
   
• Oppose and report cases related with dowry and child marriages.