Action plan soon to address declining child sex ratio: Govt

New Delhi: Concerned over the constantly declining child sex ratio in the country, the government on Thursday said that it would come up with a national plan of action soon to address the "serious problem."

The child sex ratio in the country, according to census 2011, is 914 girls for 1000 boys. "This is a serious problem leading to more forced marriages, trafficking, violence against women and an imbalance in the country`s population," the Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD) said. Addressing a function here on National Girl Child Day, WCD Secretary Prem Narain said the Ministry is coming up with a national plan of action to improve child sex ratio through "a concerted effort will be reflected from most of ministries" to address the problem. WCD Minister Krishna Tirath had recently held consultations to formulate the action plan. She had held discussions with representatives of various ministries of HRD, Social Justice and Empowerment, Water and Sanitation, Health and Family Welfare, Panchayat and Rural Development, Planning Commission, and with members of civil society organisations, advocates, radiologists, gynaecologists and doctors. Representatives from UNFPA, UNICEF, and UNDP also had participated in the consultations. The Minister told the function today that declining child sex ratio, in its present nature and scale, is a cause of urgency and concern. Child sex ratio is a powerful indicator of the social response and attitude towards the girl child, she said. According to the officials, some states including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have consistently shown low population of women. PTI