Chandigarh: In efforts to arrest its skewed sex ratio, Haryana will now be giving cash incentives to villages and towns stemming the problem and registering more births of the girl child.

For starters, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today awarded Rs one lakh to Jhalnia village panchayat Jhalnia in Fatehabad district for improving the ratio to 1,227 females per 1,000 males. He also announced cash rewards of Rs 5 lakh for the village and district standing first in terms in improved sex ratio, Rs 3 lakh for second spot and Rs 2 lakh for the third position.

Addressing a seminar on Eradication of Female Foeticide and Drug De-addiction organised by the state Legal Services Authority and Health Department, Hooda said Kurukshetra and Ambala were among 34 districts in the country having low sex ratio and persistent efforts were needed to stem it.

He lauded Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Vijender Jain for taking the initiative and organising the seminar. Jain rued that although Haryana stood second in per capita income, the sex ratio imbalance was a matter of serious concern.

Source : PTI