Are we heading towards a daughterless nation?

New Delhi, June 17: Are we heading towards a daughterless nation - the pertinent question arises from the provisional figures available from the 2001 census where the child sex ratio (0-6 age group) shows a sharp decline in several states.

The girl child seems to have lost badly despite numerous programmes and projects. The sex ratio of the child population which was 945 in 1991, decreased to 927, a decrease of 18 points.

The dismal figures are revealed in the first publication of (provisional) results of the Census of India 2001 by the Registrar General in which separate figures are available for the sex composition for the 0-6 age group.

Though the census papers show an overall increase in the sex ratio (females per 1000 males) of the population, 933 in 2001 compared to 927 in 1991 or an increase by six points during the last decade, the decline in the child sex ratio is the most shocking aspect.

Renowned demographer Prof. Ashish Bose remarks that the 2001 figure is not freak, it is a secular trend. In 1961, the 0-6 sex ratio was 976, it declined to 964 in 1971, 962 in 1981 and 945 in 1991. But the sharpest decline has been in the past decade.

The census commissioner observes in his report "one thing is clear - the imbalance that has set in at this early stage is difficult to be removed and would remain to haunt the population for a long time to come. Demographically the 0-6 sex ratio does not augur well for the future of the country."

The alarming nature of the report is the drastic decline of the 0-6 sex ratio in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and also in Chandigarh and Delhi.

In Punjab, the child sex ratio declined from 875 to 793 (a decrease of 82 points), in Haryana from 879 to 820 (59 points) in Himachal Pradesh from 951 to 897 (54 points), in Gujarat from 928 to 878 (50 points), in Chandigarh from 899 to 845 (54 points) and in Delhi from 915 to 865 (50 points).

This sharp decline in the states must be the consequence of female foeticide on a massive scale if not female infanticide and higher female child mortality rates, remarks Prof. Bose, author of the book 'India's Billion Plus People: 2001 Census Highlighted.'

Bose who coined the acronym BIMARU for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for being demographically backward, coins an acronym DEMARU - where 'D' stands for daughters and 'MARU' for killings.

"On the basis of 50 points decline in the child sex ratio, I would classify Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat as DEMARU states," he says.

The yearning for male child was predominant in the north- west India but shockingly the decline in female child population is in every state of India except Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim and Lakshadweep.

The unborn or the innocent infant daughters are dying, the alarming statistics are giving warning signals but are we listening or is the nation going to live without its daughters? (PTI)