Young girl students of the city took part in a marathon with the theme ‘save the girl child’ on Tuesday morning.
It was an effort to create awareness regarding declining girl child ratio in Ganjam district. It may be noted that in Odisha, four districts — Ganjam, Angul, Nayagarh and Dhenkanal — have a very low child sex ratio . The average child sex ratio in Odisha has reached an all-time low at 941 girls per 1,000 boys. The child sex ratio in Ganjam district was lower than that at 908 girls per 1,000 boys as per the last census in 2011.
The Ganjam Zilla Swasthya Samity in collaboration with the Directorate of Family Welfare of Odisha and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) had organised this marathon for girls to create awareness regarding importance of girls in families and society and to promote birth of girls.
This marathon was flagged off from the Khallikote Autonomous College Stadium in the presence of officials of the Health Department, representatives of the UNFPA, dignitaries of the city. Principal of MKCG Medical College flagged off this marathon. The marathon was run up to the play ground of the government ITI in the city.
Before the flag off, speakers elaborated on the vagaries of declining sex ratio in Ganjam district, Odisha as well as in the country. As per annual health survey of 2010-11, in Ganjam district the sex ratio at birth stands at only 877 girls for 1,000 boys. According to the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Ganjam, Lalit Mohan Rath, during the decade the number of girls has got reduced continually in the district.
As per 2001 census, the child sex ratio in Ganjam district was 939 girls per 1,000 boys. It got reduced to 908 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011.
The CDMO Dr Rath said although the administration and the Health Department have resorted to several measures including strict vigil on prenatal testing centres to check female foeticide, unless people themselves become conscious about importance of girl child, real changes cannot happen. According to him, traditional mindset where boys are thought to be successors and prevalence of social evils are reasons behind female foeticide, a major cause behind declining sex ratio in the Ganjam district.
