Pune:
Over the last one year, Dr Ganesh Rakh has seen 144 girls born at the 20-bed multispeciality hospital he owns in Pune. Their parents were not charged a penny for the deliveries.
The 40-year-old gynaecologist says it's his contribution to fighting female foeticide in Maharashtra, a state where the sex ratio is lower than the national average of 914 girls for every 1,000 boys.
He explains why he decided to waive the Rs 20,00 fees that would usually be charged for a delivery. "I noticed that when we informed the relatives that a boy has been born, then their joy knew no bounds but informing them about the birth of a girl child was akin to giving tragic news."
The hospital also celebrates the arrival of baby girls by distributing sweets.
A recent study conducted in Nagpur, a 11-hour drive from Pune, showed that the sex ratio even among families where both or one parent is a doctor is worryingly low (907 girls per 1,000 boys as compared to the national average of 914 per 1,000 boys).