Census 2011: Child sex ratio improves by 20% in 10 yrs in Kangra district

DHARAMSALA: Population of the girl child in the 0-6 age group has increased by 20 per cent over the past 10 years in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, thanks to strong implementation of the PNDT Act.

According to the 2011 Census Report, the current child sex ratio in the district is 968 females per 1000 males, a jump from 948 girls in 2001, Chief Medical Officer of the district Dr K C Dogra said.

He said the rise in the number of female children had been made possible due to effective implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, 1994.

District officers regularly hold checks of ultra sound machines and also educate the public about gender equality, the CMO said.

The public is being made aware that female foeticide is a crime and those who provide information about clinics where sex-selective abortions are done are rewarded with Rs 10,000, he said.

Around 55 ultra sound machines are there in the district out of which 30 are established in the private sector, Dogra added.