Cuddalore, which registered a decreasing child sex ratio between 2001 and 2011, is the only district of the State chosen for the Union government’s scheme, “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,” (protect the girl child, educate the girl child).
Totally, one hundred districts across the country have been selected and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch it in Panipat, Haryana, on Thursday.
On the selection of Cuddalore, a senior official explains that the district had shown a decreasing child sex ratio between 2001 and 2011. The rate was 957 in 2001, which went down by 62 points 10 years later.
The main reason for the fall in the child sex ratio, according to the official, was the adverse impact of the 2004 tsunami on girl children and women. There were four other districts – Ariyalur, Perambalur, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai – which had also shown a similar trend during 2001-2011. For the last three years or so, the State government has been paying a focussed attention to address the problem, the official adds. According to a release, the new scheme has been developed on the multi-sector strategy that includes the formation of a communication and mobilisation campaign to change the norms of society, creating equality for girl child, improving the child sex ratio in the urban and rural areas for faster impact.
