Another newborn girl killed in Rajasthan

Jan 25, 2011 |

IANS

The body of a newborn girl was found in Rajasthan, bringing to the fore the plight of the girl child in a state that suffers from a skewed sex ratio.

The police found the newborn's body in a canal near Naugama, a small village in Banswara district.

"We got a call from a local resident informing us about the body. We have launched investigations and registered a case against an unidentified woman," a police official said on phone from Banswara.

Rajasthan among other states has recently been in the news due to increasing cases of female foeticide and infanticide. Poverty, ignorance about family planning, high dowry etc have been reported as the possible causes for this crime.

As per the 2001 census, the sex ratio in the state stands at 922 females per 1,000 males.

According to a volunteer working with a local NGO, requesting not to be named, said that earlier families used to practice female foeticide, but "after the government announced monetary incentives for couples with a girl child they want to take the money offered under certain government schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), for having babies delivered in hospitals".

"They prefer to deliver their babies in hospitals with an eye on the money offered. However, soon after leaving the hospital, the newborn girls disappear. In some cases they are killed while in others the families just throw them away," he added.

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