No girl child? Then Himachal panchayats won’t get funds

Determined to check its skewed sex ratio, the Himachal Pradesh government won’t fund panchayats if no girl is born in its domain. But there will be rewards for panchayats with a good sex ratio.

The decision has come from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who, at the helm for the sixth time, is sensitive to gender issues, officials say.

At a recent public meeting in Kangra district, the octogenarian got emotional and announced that he would stop grants to panchayats where the sex ratio is declining.

“When he came to know that certain areas adjoining Punjab are witnessing a skewed sex ratio, he got furious,” a health official said. “He took the decision to warn the erring panchayats.”

The chief minister has also reportedly directed health authorities to keep a close tab on people visiting clinics to kill the girl child.

As per the 2011 census, Himachal Pradesh has 6,864,602 people, of which 3,481,873 are males and 3,382,729 females. The sex ratio is 972 females to every 1,000 males.