It is common knowledge that most Indian families do not prefer daughters. The state has not succeeded in tackling the problem. The number of girls born per 1000 boys fell from 999 to 906 during 2011-13. Delhi had the steepest fall- 887 to 876. Uttar Pradesh came next. The 2014 sample registration system shows that sex selection is not limited only to the Hindi heartland. Even Tamil Nadu has been affected with the number of girls born falling from 927-921. Job opportunities are limited for women. There is gender discrimination or patriarchy. As a result, fewer families want fewer girl children. The states have failed in implementing the Pre- Concession and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994 (PCPDTA) in its full sense. The Act bans determination of the gender of an unborn child. This is to prevent girl feticide. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi proposed compulsory tests to determine the sex of unborn babies. But women rights groups set their face against it.
A recent Comptroller and Auditor General Report states that the PCPDTA has been made ineffective owing to lack of regular inspection, underutilization of funds earmarked for that purpose and failure to conduct sting operations. Only 52 decoy operations were undertaken in 1% of the 4622 registered centres in Uttar Pradesh during 2010-15. Court proceedings in such matters generally prove abortive. The government must declare feticide and the falling sex ratio an emergency situation. Otherwise the scene will remain as bleak as ever.