State’s plan to boost dismal sex ratio

Govt to spend Rs4,300 cr in next 18 years on scheme for 65L families below poverty line

The state’s dismal sex ratio will be the focus of the government’s new initiative. The ambitious scheme called Mazi Kanya Bhagyashri will not just offer monetary incentives for girls until they turn 18, it will also support grandparents and villages, who are not opposed to their birth.

The state plans to spend Rs4,300 crore over the next 18 years to implement this scheme. It is an extension of the Sukanya programme launched by the Congress-NCP government two years ago and only 65 lakh families below the poverty line will be eligible for it.

The scheme, which is expected to be launched in the next few weeks, will provide financial aid for the girls until they turn 18. Parents who opt for family planning surgery after the birth of the first or the second girl, will get an annual monetary allowance ranging between Rs2,000 and Rs3,000. The girls will also get Rs1 lakh the day they turn 18. “The scheme will prove to be major boost to our continuous efforts to improve the sex ratio. It’s a comprehensive scheme, which has the potential to build confidence that a girl child can also carry forward the family lineage. It will be launched once it is approved by the cabinet,” said women and child welfare minister Pankaja Munde.

“We divided the financial allowances for the girls into two categories. Under the first category, the parents opting for the family planning surgery after the birth of the first girl will be entitled for Rs5,000 as a token of appreciation. If they opt for surgery after the birth of a second girl, they are entitled to half the amount. Girls until the age of 5 will be entitled to Rs2,000, which has to be used to buy nutritious food. This will increase to Rs2,500 and Rs3,000 for girls aged 6 and 12 respectively,” said the official.

“Under Sukanya, the government used to deposit an amount of Rs21,200 in a life insurance scheme, offering the lump sum of Rs1 lakh once the girls turn 18. Our scheme goes a step ahead by offering annual assistance to buy food for the girls,” the official said. The department has secured 20,500 girls in a year under Sukanya.