Committee on Petitions

Petition praying for urgent need to curb Female Foeticide.

The Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha, under the Chairmanship

of Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Member, Rajya Sabha, is considering a

petition praying for urgent need to curb female foeticide. The petitioners have

pointed out that despite Government's efforts to check this unethical practice of

female foeticide, the same is still being followed clandestinely in our society

leading to widening of gap in the male/female sex ratio in the society. According

to the petitioners, the menace of female foeticide is giving rise to several other

social problems too, like shortage of brides, increase in sex-related crimes, etc.

The petition calls for a curb on this unethical practice of female foeticide in the

larger interest of the society.

2. The petition is available on the Rajya Sabha's website

(www.rajyasabha.nic.in) under the link: Committees → Standing Committees →

Committee on Petitions → Petitions with the Committee.

3. The Committee has decided to undertake consultations with a wide crosssection

of the society and invites written memoranda thereon. Those desirous of

submitting memoranda to the Committee may send two copies (each in English

and Hindi) thereof to Shri Rakesh Naithani, Joint Director, Rajya Sabha

Secretariat, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi – 110 001 (Tel: 011-

23035433(O), 23794328 (Telefax) and E-mail: rsc2pet@sansad.nic.in) latest

by 30th December, 2010.

4. Comments/suggestions, etc. submitted to the Committee would form part

of its record and would be treated as confidential. Any violation in this regard

may attract breach of privilege of the Committee.

5. Those who are willing to appear before the Committee besides submitting

written comments/suggestions may indicate so. However, the Committee’s

decision in this regard shall be final.

To

The Council of States (Rajya Sabha)

The petition of Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director and Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head,

Research Division, Centre for Social Research (CSR), 2, Nelson Mandela Marg,

Vasant Kunj, New Delhi- 110070.

Sheweth

1. The practice of female foeticide is prevalent in our society. It is prominent

in the prosperous States of Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharshtra, Tamil

Nadu and Himachal Pradesh (where sex ratio is declining) and also equally

found in the backward State of Orissa.

2. The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech on 15 August, 2009

has touched upon the said issue, which is reproduced below:-

"...............The practice of female foeticide regrettably persists in our

society. This is a shame for all of us. We must eliminate it as early as

possible. Our progress will be incomplete till women become equal

partners in all areas of our life and in our nation's

progress...................."

3. Even if there are Central laws, namely, The Pre-Natal Diagnostic

Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT Act)

and The Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of

Sex Selection) Act, 1994 the practice is being carried out surreptitiously by

the parents in connivance with the medical practitioners in private nursing

homes. The sex ratio in the 0-5 age group has declined from 945 girls per

1000 boys in the 1991 census to 927 in the 2001 census.

4. Child Sex Ratio for the last four decades (given on the table below) show

that it has been declining continuously and the decline has been the sharpest

from 1981 onwards.

Year All India Female/male Child ratio in 0-6 agegroup

1961 976/1000

1971 964/1000

1981 962/1000

1991 945/1000

2001 927/1000

5. The States and Union Territories that have shown a huge decline in Child

Sex Ratio are Punjab (-82), Haryana (-59), Himachal Pradesh (-54),

Chandigarh (-54), Gujarat (-50), and Delhi (-50).

6. The four worst hit districts of Haryana in respect of 0-6 year age group as

per 2001 Census are Kurukshetra (770), Sonepat (783), Ambala (784) and

Rohtak (796) with below 800 female children per 1000 male children.

7. The recent data shows the most alarming figures in terms of sex-ratio both

at the national level and in the case of states:

Major State-wise Sex Ratio (Female Per 1000 Male) at Birth by

Residence in India

(2004-2006)

India and Bigger states Total Rural Urban

India 892 895 881

Andhra Pradesh 917 909 941

Assam 920 922 905

Bihar 881 884 847

Chhattisgarh 961 967 929

Delhi 847 810 854

Gujarat 865 886 827

Haryana 837 838 834

Himachal Pradesh 872 870 888

Jammu & Kashmir 838 834 861

Jharkhand 888 896 838

Karnataka 917 908 938

Kerala 922 910 962

Madhya Pradesh 913 914 907

Maharashtra 879 879 878

Orissa 934 937 908

Punjab 808 813 800

Rajasthan 855 855 856

Tamil Nadu 955 970 933

Uttar Pradesh 874 876 866

West Bengal 931 937 903

Source : Office of the Registrar General, India. Downloaded from Indiastat.com

8. Dowry system drives the parents to commit the crime of female foeticide in

India. Again affordable access to sex determination and safe medical

termination of pregnancies has aggravated the practice. Sex Selection has

become a rampant phenomenon and technologies are being misused for the

purpose which is equally a concern of medical ethics. Besides the parents

other parties to the crime of female foeticide are a section of medical

practioners employed in private nursing home, who aids and abets the said

unethical practice for sheer profit motive by disclosing the sex of foetus to

the parents against the intent of the above mentioned Acts.

9. The selective elimination of girl child even before her birth is a breach of

her right to equality and existence. The practice causes inbalances in

human population which may give rise to many sex related crimes against

women and also create shortage of brides in the marriage market. It is,

therefore, imperative to eliminate the heinous practice of female foeticide in

the larger interest of the society.

10. Accordingly your petitioners pray that

(i) appropriate measures to be taken by both Central and State

Govt. to implement the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques

(Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT Act)

and the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques

(Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 effectively and

stringent punishment for the private nursing homes/clinics who

aid and abet heinous practice of female feticide for sheer profit

motive as well as the erring parents.

(ii) Prohibition of manufacture and import of hand held portable

ultrasound machines which are used to disclose gender of fetus;

and

(iii) Any other measures including reservations in Government and

private sectors for women which would make them

economically independent and may change the perception of

parents who commit the crime of female feticides in giving

preference to son over daughter even before their birth.

S.N. Name Address Signature

1. Dr. Ranjana Kumari,

Director,

Centre for Social

Research (CSR)

2, Nelson Mandela

Marg, Vasant Kunj,

New Delhi-110070

Sd/-

2. Dr. Manasi Mishra,

Head Research Division

Centre for Social

Research (CSR)

- do-

Sd/-

Sd/-

(Viplove Thakur)

Division No. 16

Countersigned by Member of Parliament