Haryana village launches “Selfie with Daughter” scheme
A Haryana village has lauched a "Selfie with Daughter" scheme to save the girl child, as part of the "Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao" campaign in the state, which has an extermely poor sex-ratio. Under the scheme, parents have to click selfies with their daughters and send them to their village sarpanch through Whatsapp. The best three selfies will be awarded cash prizes, certificates and trophies.
After making abortion legal in 1971, the Indian government learned about its misuse over the years. On account of the misuse information, it passed the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in 1994. The act was passed to stop and control the increasing number of female foeticides and to maintain a healthy sex-ratio in India, which was rapidly declining.
The first ever episode of Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate presented the true story of India's female foeticides. The show also busted the popular myth that female foeticides take place only in rural India. The show had a massive impact as around 1,00,000 people dialed the show's number to talk to Aamir about the issue.
According to the 2011 census, the Indian sex ratio was 940 females to 1000 males. But when it is translated to actual numbers, this deficit of 60 females turns out to be a deficit of 3.7 crore females.
In 2005, the Haryana government launched a scheme called "Ladli" with an objective to raise the status of the girl child in Indian households. Under the scheme, all the parents whose second girl-child was born after 20 August 2005 were given an incentive of Rs. 5000 annually for five years. The amount could only be released when the girl attained the age of 18.
The Central Government on 3rd March 2008, launched a conditional cash transfer scheme "Dhan-Laxmi" for the girl child. It provided a significant amount of money to the family, if the girl child was registered at birth, followed proper immunization schedule, went to school and got married after 18. The scheme also provided Rs. 1 lakh insurance cover at the time of birth.
