Saturday, 12 June 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The chief of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Usha Negi expressed her skepticism about the recently released report of NITI Ayog that stated that Uttarakhand is among the states with the worst child sex ratio in the country. According to the NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index 2020-21, the child sex ratio in the State stands at 840 as compared to the national average of 899.
Talking about this report, Negi said that she is a bit skeptical about NITI Aayog’s SDG index report as she believes that the State has definitely made progress in improving the child sex ratio at birth. “I think State should verify these figures as more apt data can be collected by the State Government here,” said Negi. However, she also added that if the updated child sex ratio report of Uttarakhand matches with the Aayog’s report then it is a matter of concern for everyone in the State. In such a scenario, Negi added, it is crucial to know the root cause of the falling child sex ratio in the State. “The State Government runs various programmes to spread awareness among citizens about gender equality across Uttarakhand. It is also illegal to determine the sex of an unborn child then what is the reason for this decline in child sex ratio? This indicates that something wrong is going on,” stated Negi. The SCPCR chief further said that the authorities should monitor the situation and identify such culprits at the district level who help others to determine the sex of an unborn child which might be the major cause of this falling child sex ratio here.
Meanwhile, the Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) department minister, Rekha Arya also claimed recently that NITI Aayog’s report of Uttarakhand child sex ratio is different from the State’s data. She has said that she would write to the vice chairman of NITI Aayog and present the State’s child sex ratio report.
