Moments of applause

1. Woman complains to police against husband for female foeticide

In a rare show of courage, a muslim woman of Ataiyapur village in Farrukhabad lodged a complaint of female foeticide against her husband.
Razia, who already has three children, was forced to undergo Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) by her husband after an ultrasound at a local nursing home found that she was carrying a female foetus, police sources said.

I hope media gives her ample coverage that she rightfully deserves for the sake of others watching.

2. HP asks adjacent states to check female foeticide

Following information that people go to other states for illegal abortion and sex determination test to evade the law, the Himachal government would request neighbouring states to be more vigilant, Health Minister Rajeev Bindal told the House during question hour.

He said this could be the reason for the non-improvement in sex ratio in Una and Kullu districts.
The minister said the state government has launched a comprehensive awareness drive at the grass root level to educate people against the practice.

As incentive one panchayat in each district with the best sex ratio is awarded every year, he added.

The sex ratio in HP has improved from 866 females per 1,000 males in 2005 to 885 females per 1,000 males in 2006, Bindal added.

3. Chief Justice (Punjab and Haryana High Court) for joint struggle against female foeticide

While addressing a seminar on female foeticide organised by the Health Department [in Punjab], Justice Jain said: “The people of Punjab played an important role in the freedom struggle and were pioneers of green revolution in the country, but it is shameful that now Punjab has the highest number of female foeticide cases in the country.”

The Chief Justice said that he has taken it upon himself to fight against female foeticide in the state and create awareness among people against this social evil.

He said that although the PNDT Act had been framed to check the female foeticide, laws alone were not sufficient to eradicate this practice and concerted efforts were required from one and all to fight it.

About 36 policewomen and judicial officers of the state were honoured on the occasion. The Chief Justice also administered an oath to ultrasonologists of Rupnagar against sex determination tests.