The Maharashtra government has decided to adopt four girls from a poor family in Parli, Beed district, now infamous for the high number of foeticide cases and the worst sex ratio in the State. The mother of the girls, a labourer reportedly died during an illegal abortion procedure last month at the Munde hospital.
A case was registered against the two doctors responsible for the abortion, Dr. Sudam Munde and his wife Dr. Saraswati Munde. They are now absconding.
The father, who allegedly took the mother of the girls to the clinic, is now under arrest.
The Munde episode brought the horror of illegal abortions and sex determination tests to the fore. In the absence of any support, the family has been facing hard times.
State Women and Child Welfare Minister Varsha Gaikwad, who visited their home in Parli told The Hindu over phone: “I visited the family and met the grandmother. The mother has passed away and the father is in jail. There are only old grandparents in the house. The grandmother said the family had no means of livelihood and she could not take care of the girls.”
The State has therefore decided to provide for the upbringing and education of the girls. Three of the four girls are between 8 and 12 years of age. The fourth and youngest girl is just one-and-a-half-years-old. While the government will provide support till they are 18, Ms. Gaikwad said it could be extended to 21 years for educational expenses. The three older ones would be housed in a shelter home farther away from Parli and the youngest will be provided Rs. 450 a month under the State's child care scheme.
Keywords: Female foeticide, Beed crackdown
Great and appreciable move from the Govt of Maharashtra.The persons responsible for such heinous crimes ( including the so called well educated 'Doctors')should be brought to law with out any delay.A strict vigilance should be carried out against clinics and labs which are not authorized under PCPNDT Act , for conducting pre-natal , sex determination tests and punitive measures should be taken in order to mitigate this practice.
If Maharashtra Government adopts these girls, they're likely to be malnourished as the officials looking after them will pocket the funds meant for them. I wonder how long they'll live!
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