I am the chairman of the local advisory committee of the city for PCPNDT. That sounds a great thing, but is merely a position on a committee for passing proposals for registration of eligible applicants under PCPNDT act. They do not call me for any policy making meetings. They do not even inform me of new policies made by whoever wherever. The only thing that happens due to my position is that a lot of people talk about it to me whenever something happens in that connection.
“Sir, I read in the newspapers about what the planning commission recommended. It seems they want the act changed to permit people to have the sex of their unborn babies determined. They suggest that unwanted female children should be adopted by the (state?) governments so that people will not abort them after knowing their sex” someone said.
“What is more Social organizations slammed the commission, stating that such adoption would be dangerous, since the children in such institutes are already exploited sexually and otherwise and it will get even worse. But I feel they did not slam the commission enough. The commission has probably not understood the concept. If the state is going to adopt an unwanted female newborn, what is the need of knowing the sex of the baby in advance? In fact, the only measure necessary (if it is going to work at all) is to adopt the female child. Perhaps the commission feels the parents will have to fill out application forms in advance, stand in queues to submit them, bribe some people to have them approved, make affidavits, and all that would take time which they cannot afford to spend after delivery” someone else said.
“Then there was another clarification in the news item. The state would spend for rearing of the girl child for the first two years of its life. The commission seems to believe that the first two years of the girl’s life are the years that the parents find most difficult. The expense for feeding the child during the first six months is none, since the child is breast fed. Then it is partly breast fed and partly top fed for another six months. The quantity of food consumed by the child is the next year is much less than it will consume per each subsequent year. The expenses on clothes in the first two years are negligible as compared to those incurred later. School education is free for girls in selected schools, but not professional or advanced education” the first person said.
“Perhaps the honorable members have not heard about dowry, which though illegal is very much there. Perhaps the members do not know that the parents feel that all the money spent on a girl is virtually wasted, because she is married off and is no more useful to the family. Perhaps the commission does not know that a male offspring is a must to perform the final rites and to keep the family (dynasty) running” a third person said.
“The erstwhile prime minister of India Mr. Rajeev Gandhi had allegedly called the members of the planning commission jokers, and the head of the commission of that time went on to become prime minister of the country later. I did not read in the newspaper that the same prime minister called the current commission members jokers” a fourth person said.
“The reason is rather obvious, is it not?” another person said with a grin.
“There was a hue and cry when the planning commission set the poverty line so low for our country. I did not see one thousandth of that when the commission proposed allowing prenatal sex determination” the first person said.
“That is the way it goes” I said.
