Guest guest Posted November 20, 2004 Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 NEW DELHI (November 19, 2004): One of the most disgraceful and disturbing demographic facts revealed by the 2001 Census is the precipitous decline in the sex ratio for children in 0-6 age group in some of the prosperous states of India. As highlighted by NJ Kurian in these columns (October 21), between 1991 and 2001, while there was an overall improvement of 6 points in the number of women per 1,000 men, from 927 to 933, the child sex ratio declined by as much as 32 points in the cities (from 934 to 902) and by 14 points in the rural areas (from 948 to 934). The pride of place for the sharpest decline in the child sex ratio goes to Punjab — 147 points in the towns and 157 in the villages. In 2001, the towns of Punjab had only 789 girl children for 1,000 boys, the villages had 795. If these trends go unchecked, the child sex ratio in Punjab will fall to 500 or less by 2020. Similar will be the situation in Delhi and Haryana. In fact, things seem to be much worse in Delhi, with a sex ratio currently at 762, going by the number of births reported for January to June 2004. The trends are in the same direction throughout the country with only a few exceptions. The factors underlying these outcomes are complex. Aversion for the girl child is endemic in Indian society, especially among the affluent in the north. Daughters are seen as a liability, as they require dowry to be married off. And with the law of succession as it stands now, daughters can claim a share in the paternal property on the father's death, unless he takes care to leave a will. A son, on the other hand, is seen as an asset and a bearer of the family torch. Attempts are made to get rid of the girl child at birth through bribing the dai (the midwife) to administer fatal doses of salt to the new-born and so on. With modern technology and the advent of amniocentesis, eliminating girls has become much simpler. Life of the coming child is now snuffed out even before birth if it happens to be a female. Indeed, it is `foeticide' that has lent a new horrendous dimension to the killing of the girl child. As the country got busy invoking Goddess Durga for her blessings last month, a few hundreds, if not thousands, of her daughters would have been exterminated even before they saw the light of the world. While care of women and children is primarily the responsibility of states, should the Centre look on while girls are killed in their mothers' wombs? There is much talk of gender budgeting these days. Budget heads are proposed to be re-classified to help translate gender promises into budgetary commitments. While all this may push India ahead of many countries in `gender budgeting', no attention seems to be paid to the scourge of female foeticide in a focused manner. The only initiative taken at the central level is the enactment of the PNDT Act in 1994 to ban sex determination tests. But its implementation has been tardy; hardly any one has been caught or punished for its violation. Clinics performing the tests in towns and cities don't do so openly, but it's common knowledge that it thrives clandestinely. Sex tests and abortion are now provided in rural areas through mobile clinics. So the first and foremost task in battling this scourge should be to devise ways in which the law of Parliament is enforced. At the same time, consideration needs to be given to punishing states that are negligent in protecting the girl child. One way could be to use the central transfers to this end. No doubt, it is the prerogative of states to run their affairs according to their own priorities. But the right to life being one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, there can be no valid objection to using central transfers for this purpose. The best way of going about it would be for the finance and planning commissions to take cognisance of the national responsibility in this regard and build in an incentive in the transfer system for action on the part of states to put an end to the ghastly practice of female foeticide. A simple method for this could be to introduce some weight for female population of the states in the tax devolution formula of the finance commission and the Gadgil formula for allocation of central assistance for state plans. The weight currently attached to population, viz., 10% in the tax devolution formula of the finance commission and 60% in the Gadgil formula, can be assigned entirely to female population and that would send down a strong message about the nation's concern for girls. The message would be even stronger and more appropriate if the population of girl children only, that is the number of females in the 0-6 age group, is adopted as the basis for determining the relative shares of the states in the amount carved out of the divisible pool by applying the allotted weight. However, if it is felt that the mandate of adhering to the 1971 population would stand in the way, then the population weights can be split into two halves and one half assigned to the number of females or, better still, female children. A special dispensation for girls would also be justifiable in a scheme of need-based equalisation transfers. While social mores cannot be changed by fiscal fiats, especially when prejudices run deep, state action is called for, when they are blatantly oppressive to any section of the community. Indeed such action is an imperative. The transfer system can and should play a role in upholding the right to life for the females of the country. Source: The Financial Express, © 2004: Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Article: "No pride in this prejudice: Place the issue high on the national agenda and punish errant states," by AMARESH BAGCHI & LEKHA CHAKRABORTY Posted online: Friday, November 19, 2004 at 0000 hours IST [The writers are emeritus professor and senior economist, respectively, at NIPFP] URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php? content_id=74515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2004 Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 India, or rather, parts of it could soon face the problems of gender disproportion that China faces. In China, there are many more men than women with the result that there are groups of disaffected men whose numbers continue to grow. Groups become gangs and disaffection becomes belligerence, with the result that the Chinese civil authorities are persuaded to launch external wars and aggressions in order to divert that belligerence away from internal disorder. Women do contribute to world peace in many ways, not least just by a presence equal ot men. Omprem , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > > NEW DELHI (November 19, 2004): One of the most disgraceful and > disturbing demographic facts revealed by the 2001 Census is the > precipitous decline in the sex ratio for children in 0-6 age group in > some of the prosperous states of India. As highlighted by NJ Kurian > in these columns (October 21), between 1991 and 2001, while there was > an overall improvement of 6 points in the number of women per 1,000 > men, from 927 to 933, the child sex ratio declined by as much as 32 > points in the cities (from 934 to 902) and by 14 points in the rural > areas (from 948 to 934). > > The pride of place for the sharpest decline in the child sex ratio > goes to Punjab — 147 points in the towns and 157 in the villages. In > 2001, the towns of Punjab had only 789 girl children for 1,000 boys, > the villages had 795. If these trends go unchecked, the child sex > ratio in Punjab will fall to 500 or less by 2020. Similar will be the > situation in Delhi and Haryana. In fact, things seem to be much worse > in Delhi, with a sex ratio currently at 762, going by the number of > births reported for January to June 2004. The trends are in the same > direction throughout the country with only a few exceptions. > > The factors underlying these outcomes are complex. Aversion for the > girl child is endemic in Indian society, especially among the > affluent in the north. Daughters are seen as a liability, as they > require dowry to be married off. And with the law of succession as it > stands now, daughters can claim a share in the paternal property on > the father's death, unless he takes care to leave a will. A son, on > the other hand, is seen as an asset and a bearer of the family torch. > > Attempts are made to get rid of the girl child at birth through > bribing the dai (the midwife) to administer fatal doses of salt to > the new-born and so on. With modern technology and the advent of > amniocentesis, eliminating girls has become much simpler. Life of the > coming child is now snuffed out even before birth if it happens to be > a female. Indeed, it is `foeticide' that has lent a new horrendous > dimension to the killing of the girl child. As the country got busy > invoking Goddess Durga for her blessings last month, a few hundreds, > if not thousands, of her daughters would have been exterminated even > before they saw the light of the world. > > While care of women and children is primarily the responsibility of > states, should the Centre look on while girls are killed in their > mothers' wombs? There is much talk of gender budgeting these days. > Budget heads are proposed to be re-classified to help translate > gender promises into budgetary commitments. While all this may push > India ahead of many countries in `gender budgeting', no attention > seems to be paid to the scourge of female foeticide in a focused > manner. > > The only initiative taken at the central level is the enactment of > the PNDT Act in 1994 to ban sex determination tests. But its > implementation has been tardy; hardly any one has been caught or > punished for its violation. Clinics performing the tests in towns and > cities don't do so openly, but it's common knowledge that it thrives > clandestinely. Sex tests and abortion are now provided in rural areas > through mobile clinics. So the first and foremost task in battling > this scourge should be to devise ways in which the law of Parliament > is enforced. > > At the same time, consideration needs to be given to punishing states > that are negligent in protecting the girl child. One way could be to > use the central transfers to this end. No doubt, it is the > prerogative of states to run their affairs according to their own > priorities. But the right to life being one of the fundamental rights > enshrined in the Constitution, there can be no valid objection to > using central transfers for this purpose. The best way of going about > it would be for the finance and planning commissions to take > cognisance of the national responsibility in this regard and build in > an incentive in the transfer system for action on the part of states > to put an end to the ghastly practice of female foeticide. > > A simple method for this could be to introduce some weight for female > population of the states in the tax devolution formula of the finance > commission and the Gadgil formula for allocation of central > assistance for state plans. The weight currently attached to > population, viz., 10% in the tax devolution formula of the finance > commission and 60% in the Gadgil formula, can be assigned entirely to > female population and that would send down a strong message about the > nation's concern for girls. > > The message would be even stronger and more appropriate if the > population of girl children only, that is the number of females in > the 0-6 age group, is adopted as the basis for determining the > relative shares of the states in the amount carved out of the > divisible pool by applying the allotted weight. However, if it is > felt that the mandate of adhering to the 1971 population would stand > in the way, then the population weights can be split into two halves > and one half assigned to the number of females or, better still, > female children. A special dispensation for girls would also be > justifiable in a scheme of need-based equalisation transfers. > > While social mores cannot be changed by fiscal fiats, especially when > prejudices run deep, state action is called for, when they are > blatantly oppressive to any section of the community. Indeed such > action is an imperative. The transfer system can and should play a > role in upholding the right to life for the females of the country. > > Source: The Financial Express, © 2004: Indian Express Newspapers > (Bombay) Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. > > Article: "No pride in this prejudice: Place the issue high on the > national agenda and punish errant states," by AMARESH BAGCHI & LEKHA > CHAKRABORTY Posted online: Friday, November 19, 2004 at 0000 hours > IST [The writers are emeritus professor and senior economist, > respectively, at NIPFP] > > URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php? > content_id=74515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2004 Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 But not to worry!! They say that we are loosing genes from the Y-Chromosome and has already lost 95%. when the rest is gone there will be no males. Unless we preserve Y Chromosomes. I do not know what the impact of that on human race would be. omprem <omprem wrote: India, or rather, parts of it could soon face the problems of gender disproportion that China faces. In China, there are many more men than women with the result that there are groups of disaffected men whose numbers continue to grow. Groups become gangs and disaffection becomes belligerence, with the result that the Chinese civil authorities are persuaded to launch external wars and aggressions in order to divert that belligerence away from internal disorder. Women do contribute to world peace in many ways, not least just by a presence equal ot men. Omprem , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > > NEW DELHI (November 19, 2004): One of the most disgraceful and > disturbing demographic facts revealed by the 2001 Census is the > precipitous decline in the sex ratio for children in 0-6 age group in > some of the prosperous states of India. As highlighted by NJ Kurian > in these columns (October 21), between 1991 and 2001, while there was > an overall improvement of 6 points in the number of women per 1,000 > men, from 927 to 933, the child sex ratio declined by as much as 32 > points in the cities (from 934 to 902) and by 14 points in the rural > areas (from 948 to 934). > > The pride of place for the sharpest decline in the child sex ratio > goes to Punjab — 147 points in the towns and 157 in the villages. In > 2001, the towns of Punjab had only 789 girl children for 1,000 boys, > the villages had 795. If these trends go unchecked, the child sex > ratio in Punjab will fall to 500 or less by 2020. Similar will be the > situation in Delhi and Haryana. In fact, things seem to be much worse > in Delhi, with a sex ratio currently at 762, going by the number of > births reported for January to June 2004. The trends are in the same > direction throughout the country with only a few exceptions. > > The factors underlying these outcomes are complex. Aversion for the > girl child is endemic in Indian society, especially among the > affluent in the north. Daughters are seen as a liability, as they > require dowry to be married off. And with the law of succession as it > stands now, daughters can claim a share in the paternal property on > the father's death, unless he takes care to leave a will. A son, on > the other hand, is seen as an asset and a bearer of the family torch. > > Attempts are made to get rid of the girl child at birth through > bribing the dai (the midwife) to administer fatal doses of salt to > the new-born and so on. With modern technology and the advent of > amniocentesis, eliminating girls has become much simpler. Life of the > coming child is now snuffed out even before birth if it happens to be > a female. Indeed, it is `foeticide' that has lent a new horrendous > dimension to the killing of the girl child. As the country got busy > invoking Goddess Durga for her blessings last month, a few hundreds, > if not thousands, of her daughters would have been exterminated even > before they saw the light of the world. > > While care of women and children is primarily the responsibility of > states, should the Centre look on while girls are killed in their > mothers' wombs? There is much talk of gender budgeting these days. > Budget heads are proposed to be re-classified to help translate > gender promises into budgetary commitments. While all this may push > India ahead of many countries in `gender budgeting', no attention > seems to be paid to the scourge of female foeticide in a focused > manner. > > The only initiative taken at the central level is the enactment of > the PNDT Act in 1994 to ban sex determination tests. But its > implementation has been tardy; hardly any one has been caught or > punished for its violation. Clinics performing the tests in towns and > cities don't do so openly, but it's common knowledge that it thrives > clandestinely. Sex tests and abortion are now provided in rural areas > through mobile clinics. So the first and foremost task in battling > this scourge should be to devise ways in which the law of Parliament > is enforced. > > At the same time, consideration needs to be given to punishing states > that are negligent in protecting the girl child. One way could be to > use the central transfers to this end. No doubt, it is the > prerogative of states to run their affairs according to their own > priorities. But the right to life being one of the fundamental rights > enshrined in the Constitution, there can be no valid objection to > using central transfers for this purpose. The best way of going about > it would be for the finance and planning commissions to take > cognisance of the national responsibility in this regard and build in > an incentive in the transfer system for action on the part of states > to put an end to the ghastly practice of female foeticide. > > A simple method for this could be to introduce some weight for female > population of the states in the tax devolution formula of the finance > commission and the Gadgil formula for allocation of central > assistance for state plans. The weight currently attached to > population, viz., 10% in the tax devolution formula of the finance > commission and 60% in the Gadgil formula, can be assigned entirely to > female population and that would send down a strong message about the > nation's concern for girls. > > The message would be even stronger and more appropriate if the > population of girl children only, that is the number of females in > the 0-6 age group, is adopted as the basis for determining the > relative shares of the states in the amount carved out of the > divisible pool by applying the allotted weight. However, if it is > felt that the mandate of adhering to the 1971 population would stand > in the way, then the population weights can be split into two halves > and one half assigned to the number of females or, better still, > female children. A special dispensation for girls would also be > justifiable in a scheme of need-based equalisation transfers. > > While social mores cannot be changed by fiscal fiats, especially when > prejudices run deep, state action is called for, when they are > blatantly oppressive to any section of the community. Indeed such > action is an imperative. The transfer system can and should play a > role in upholding the right to life for the females of the country. > > Source: The Financial Express, © 2004: Indian Express Newspapers > (Bombay) Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. > > Article: "No pride in this prejudice: Place the issue high on the > national agenda and punish errant states," by AMARESH BAGCHI & LEKHA > CHAKRABORTY Posted online: Friday, November 19, 2004 at 0000 hours > IST [The writers are emeritus professor and senior economist, > respectively, at NIPFP] > > URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php? > content_id=74515 / Meet the all-new My – Try it today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 ****But not to worry!! They say that we are loosing genes from the Y-Chromosome and has already lost 95%. when the rest is gone there will be no males.*** I'm assuming that you were intended to be humorous. However, the idea imbedded in your comment is shared by too many. The timeline for your scenario to unfold is much, much longer than the time needed for the scenario I outlined to unfold. We will have to deal with the warlike effects of a disproportionate number of males before we have to deal with the prospect of a lost gene pool. This is the second time that you have offered a laissez-faire, fatalistic atttitude in the face to difficulty. I assume that it is intended to signify faith in Devi to provide a solution and to signify your detachment from Maya. This type of attitude is endemic in India. In actual fact, this attitude is born from a sense of helplessness and ineffectiveness. It is a tamasic response that rises from a wrong interpretation of karma, from the hopelessness of poverty and from the restrictions of caste. People try to claim the long view and say everything is in the hands of God/Goddess in an effort to give themselves the comforting illusion of knowledge about the future through a subtle attempt to identify with a supernatural agent. Karma is not fate, karma is a reaction to one's own actions that can be modified. In the attitude that you espouse, one is a passive viewer rather than a participant. Karma happens in response to ego-based actions. This does not mean that one should not act. It is our prerogative and necessity as humans to act. How we act is the key. Rajasic action will focus on changing behaviour often with penalties for not doing so. Rajasic action is the action of do-gooders, political activists, feminists, etc. It is confrontational and divisive. Sattvic action will effect change through involvement rather than confrontation, through appeal to the Divine in all rather than to the egotistical and demonic. Sattvic action elevates all and removes fear and narrow self-interest. Rajasic action can be compared to a majority vote system with all of its difficulties. Sattvic action can be compared to a consensus system. Either is preferable to being immobilized by fear and ignorance. Omprem , sankara menon <kochu1tz> wrote: > But not to worry!! They say that we are loosing genes from the Y-Chromosome and has already lost 95%. when the rest is gone there will be no males. Unless we preserve Y Chromosomes. > I do not know what the impact of that on human race would be. > > omprem <omprem> wrote: > > India, or rather, parts of it could soon face the problems of > gender disproportion that China faces. In China, there are many > more men than women with the result that there are groups of > disaffected men whose numbers continue to grow. Groups > become gangs and disaffection becomes belligerence, with the > result that the Chinese civil authorities are persuaded to launch > external wars and aggressions in order to divert that > belligerence away from internal disorder. > > Women do contribute to world peace in many ways, not least just > by a presence equal ot men. > > Omprem > > > > , "Devi Bhakta" > <devi_bhakta> wrote: > > > > NEW DELHI (November 19, 2004): One of the most disgraceful > and > > disturbing demographic facts revealed by the 2001 Census is > the > > precipitous decline in the sex ratio for children in 0-6 age group > in > > some of the prosperous states of India. As highlighted by NJ > Kurian > > in these columns (October 21), between 1991 and 2001, while > there was > > an overall improvement of 6 points in the number of women > per 1,000 > > men, from 927 to 933, the child sex ratio declined by as much > as 32 > > points in the cities (from 934 to 902) and by 14 points in the > rural > > areas (from 948 to 934). > > > > The pride of place for the sharpest decline in the child sex ratio > > goes to Punjab — 147 points in the towns and 157 in the > villages. In > > 2001, the towns of Punjab had only 789 girl children for 1,000 > boys, > > the villages had 795. If these trends go unchecked, the child > sex > > ratio in Punjab will fall to 500 or less by 2020. Similar will be > the > > situation in Delhi and Haryana. In fact, things seem to be much > worse > > in Delhi, with a sex ratio currently at 762, going by the number > of > > births reported for January to June 2004. The trends are in the > same > > direction throughout the country with only a few exceptions. > > > > The factors underlying these outcomes are complex. Aversion > for the > > girl child is endemic in Indian society, especially among the > > affluent in the north. Daughters are seen as a liability, as they > > require dowry to be married off. And with the law of succession > as it > > stands now, daughters can claim a share in the paternal > property on > > the father's death, unless he takes care to leave a will. A son, > on > > the other hand, is seen as an asset and a bearer of the family > torch. > > > > Attempts are made to get rid of the girl child at birth through > > bribing the dai (the midwife) to administer fatal doses of salt to > > the new-born and so on. With modern technology and the > advent of > > amniocentesis, eliminating girls has become much simpler. > Life of the > > coming child is now snuffed out even before birth if it happens > to be > > a female. Indeed, it is `foeticide' that has lent a new > horrendous > > dimension to the killing of the girl child. As the country got busy > > invoking Goddess Durga for her blessings last month, a few > hundreds, > > if not thousands, of her daughters would have been > exterminated even > > before they saw the light of the world. > > > > While care of women and children is primarily the > responsibility of > > states, should the Centre look on while girls are killed in their > > mothers' wombs? There is much talk of gender budgeting > these days. > > Budget heads are proposed to be re-classified to help > translate > > gender promises into budgetary commitments. While all this > may push > > India ahead of many countries in `gender budgeting', no > attention > > seems to be paid to the scourge of female foeticide in a > focused > > manner. > > > > The only initiative taken at the central level is the enactment of > > the PNDT Act in 1994 to ban sex determination tests. But its > > implementation has been tardy; hardly any one has been > caught or > > punished for its violation. Clinics performing the tests in towns > and > > cities don't do so openly, but it's common knowledge that it > thrives > > clandestinely. Sex tests and abortion are now provided in rural > areas > > through mobile clinics. So the first and foremost task in battling > > this scourge should be to devise ways in which the law of > Parliament > > is enforced. > > > > At the same time, consideration needs to be given to > punishing states > > that are negligent in protecting the girl child. One way could be > to > > use the central transfers to this end. No doubt, it is the > > prerogative of states to run their affairs according to their own > > priorities. But the right to life being one of the fundamental > rights > > enshrined in the Constitution, there can be no valid objection to > > using central transfers for this purpose. The best way of going > about > > it would be for the finance and planning commissions to take > > cognisance of the national responsibility in this regard and > build in > > an incentive in the transfer system for action on the part of > states > > to put an end to the ghastly practice of female foeticide. > > > > A simple method for this could be to introduce some weight for > female > > population of the states in the tax devolution formula of the > finance > > commission and the Gadgil formula for allocation of central > > assistance for state plans. The weight currently attached to > > population, viz., 10% in the tax devolution formula of the finance > > commission and 60% in the Gadgil formula, can be assigned > entirely to > > female population and that would send down a strong > message about the > > nation's concern for girls. > > > > The message would be even stronger and more appropriate if > the > > population of girl children only, that is the number of females in > > the 0-6 age group, is adopted as the basis for determining the > > relative shares of the states in the amount carved out of the > > divisible pool by applying the allotted weight. However, if it is > > felt that the mandate of adhering to the 1971 population would > stand > > in the way, then the population weights can be split into two > halves > > and one half assigned to the number of females or, better still, > > female children. A special dispensation for girls would also be > > justifiable in a scheme of need-based equalisation transfers. > > > > While social mores cannot be changed by fiscal fiats, > especially when > > prejudices run deep, state action is called for, when they are > > blatantly oppressive to any section of the community. Indeed > such > > action is an imperative. The transfer system can and should > play a > > role in upholding the right to life for the females of the country. > > > > Source: The Financial Express, © 2004: Indian Express > Newspapers > > (Bombay) Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. > > > > Article: "No pride in this prejudice: Place the issue high on the > > national agenda and punish errant states," by AMARESH > BAGCHI & LEKHA > > CHAKRABORTY Posted online: Friday, November 19, 2004 at > 0000 hours > > IST [The writers are emeritus professor and senior economist, > > respectively, at NIPFP] > > > > URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php? > > content_id=74515 > > > > > Sponsor > > > > Links > > > / > > > > > Terms of Service. > > > > > > Meet the all-new My – Try it today! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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