Alarming Decline: Girl Boy Ratio Falls Below 912 in Pune District’s 575 Gram Panchayats

Pune, 21st May 2023: The declining number of girls in Pune district has reached an alarming level, with the boy-girl sex ratio falling below 912 per thousand in 575 gram panchayats.

The administration has instructed the submission of a report on the implementation of the special campaign initiated under ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child) to address the issue and increase the number of girls in the affected gram panchayats.

To assess the situation, a comprehensive survey of boys and girls between the ages of 0 and 6 was conducted in the villages under the Gram Panchayat by the Zilla Parishad. District-level workshops were organized for officials and employees of gram panchayats located in the red zone, where the girl-boy ratio is below 912 per thousand.

Additionally, taluka-level workshops were conducted for key stakeholders such as Sarpanch, Police Patil, Anganwadi Sevaka, Asha Worker, Gram Sevak, and Anganwadi Supervisor in the respective Gram Panchayats experiencing a low Child Sex Ratio. These workshops aimed to provide training and guidance to enhance the child sex ratio, with the participation of Zilla Parishad members, Panchayat Samiti members, and all relevant stakeholders.

Numerous programs were initiated to address the issue and bolster the number of girls. However, the Zilla Parishad has yet to receive the anticipated report, leaving the outcome of these initiatives unclear. It is crucial for the gram sevaks to engage in discussions with the sarpanch at the gram panchayat level and subsequently submit a report to the child development project officer.

Ayush Prasad, the Chief Executive Officer of Pune Zilla Parishad, emphasized that all Child Development Project Officers will gather reports from each Gram Panchayat and compile a comprehensive taluka-level report for submission at the district level.