Committees for control female infanticide

Dharmapuri: The District Administration will set up monitoring committees in villages to control female infanticide, said Collector Pankaj Kumar Bansal here on Thursday. A total of 34 female babies died within a day of their birth in Dharmapuri district during the year 2006-07.
A majority of these infant deaths were reported in 48 villages spread across Pennagaram, Palacode, Morapur, Harur, Karimangalam, Nallampalli and Dharmapuri blocks.

Mr. Bansal said that women who were pregnant with their third child and those keen on having a male child indulged in the unfair practice of female infanticide.Health officials and self-help group members should create awareness among pregnant women and locals on the ill-effects of female infanticide. Those who indulged in female infanticide would be brought under the law, he said.

The Collector directed VHNs to maintain a register on the status of pregnant women in villages, which had a high incidence of female infanticide. They should also promote institutional deliveries in both rural as well as urban areas to prevent Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality in the district.Health officials should sensitise couples to go for family planning after the birth of their second child. VHNs should maintain a list of antenatal mothers and submit the same to the concerned panchayat presidents and SHG members for monitoring. A committee will be formed at the village-level including panchayat president, anganvadi worker, VHN and SHG member to monitor antenatal mothers.

The District Administration will take stern action against private scan centres that indulge in the unfair practice of revealing the sex identity of the foetus. Scan centres should be registered with the concerned authorities and registers maintained without fail.Efforts would be taken to make Dharmapuri district free from female infanticide, Mr. Bansal added.