Jaisalmer:
On Sunday, NDTV reported on the brutal murder of baby girls after social schemes were availed in villages in Rajasthan. The girl child is borne, so that schemes offering a sum of Rs 1,800 for the birth of a baby girl in hospital can be availed of. They are killed soon after. The Health Ministry has now sent a team to look into it. (
Read & Watch: The price of being a girl in Rajasthan)
Female infanticide, the tradition of killing newborn girls in the womb might sound old in a Rajasthan village because a girl child is given birth in government hospitals to avail government schemes and then killed after getting a mere 1,800 rupees. It's literally the price of being a girl.
The desert districts of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer and Barmer known for their colourful history of valour and honour are now offering a sacrifice of a different kind. Newborn girls are being killed after birth. Traditionally girls are called manhoos or curse.
Female infanticide died out with the coming of the ultrasound machine. Girls were killed off in the womb itself but now it is once again on the rise because families want to take advantage of government schemes which provide money for having babies delivered in hospitals.
Women deliver daughters in hospitals get paid 1800 rupees and go home. Within days the newborns disappear. Auxillary nurse midwives or ANMs, who supervise pregnancy and childbirth in villages, say girls are being disposed off ruthlessly.
"Girls are definitely killed. I won't names castes, but female infanticide is prevalent in some castes, not all. In the last 5 years, there have been many such incidents," said Nakhat D Dheta, Seemant Kisan Sansthan, social worker.
Jaisalmer district has a sharply skewed sex ratio of 869 per 1000 boys while Barmer has 919 girls per thousand boys - way below the national average of 933.
"I've been working here for 8 years now, so I've seen cases of 10-12 girls being killed. Pressure is on the mothers, even husbands say that dowry is the main reason," said Mani Devi, Auxillary Nurse Midwife.
Villagers themselves remain silent about the practice but it is clear that the government's financial incentives to support girl children have had little impact. Instead schemes like the Janani Suraksha Yojana, meant to ensure safe deliveries, are now being misused.
Mani Devi further says: "Yes, the number of deliveries have increased. Nobody used to come here earlier. People belong to various castes. I went and explained that they should get their babies delivered here, both mother and baby will be safe. Female infanticide is taking place in my own village.
Whether it's dowry, property or simply son preference, the reality is that daughters are still unwanted.