THE highly skewed s*x ratio at birth in India is a result of the preference for sons and the abortion of female fetuses. The preference for sons has deep roots in India for cultural and economic reasons. It is argued that once a girl is married, she leaves the parental home to live with her in-laws and is perceived to be of little economic benefit, such as support of her parents in their old age. A common saying is that raring a girl child is like "watering neighbour's garden."
In order to (i) enhance the social status of a girl child in society as well as the family (ii) ensure proper education and make the girl child self-reliant (iii) ensure economic security and (iv) protect the girl child from discrimination and deprivation, an incentive-based scheme called LADLI was launched by the Government of Delhi effective from January 1, 2008.
The object of this scheme is two fold – the direct and tangible objective is to change the attitudinal mindset of the family towards the girl child – by linking cash and non-cash incentives. This encourages the families to look upon the girl as an asset rather a liability.
The eligibility conditions for financial assistance under this scheme are (1) the girl child should be born in Delhi (2) the family should be a resident in Delhi for the previous three years (3) the annual income does not exceed Rs 1 lakh and (4) the girl child should be studying in a recognised government school in Delhi.
The cash incentive under the scheme is that every girl child born is entitled to Rs 11,000 in the case of an institutional birth and Rs 10,000 for a non-institutional birth. Thereafter, the government is to deposit Rs 5,000 each at the time of her admission to class I, VI, IX, X and XII in the name of the girl.
Under the scheme the amount is deposited in the accounts opened with the State Bank of India in the name of the girl child. These deposits accumulate up to Rs 1 lakh on the girl's attaining the age of 18 years. The money can be withdrawn, preferably by her mother, when the girl attains the age of 18.
According to the annual report on Registration of Births and Deaths, 2008, released by the Director of Economic and Statistics, in 2008 Delhi recorded a positive s*x ratio in favour of girls for the first time in 2008.
It is claimed that due to the concerted efforts to implement the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, outlawing the practice, and with the implementation of the LADLI scheme the s*x ratio at birth has started to give positive results in favour of girls.
According to the annual report for 2008, the number of total births registered was 333,908 of which 166,583 were boys and 167,325 were girls, giving a s*x ratio of 1,004 girl babies per 1,000 boy babies.
The number of registered births during 2007 was 322,044 of which 174,289 were boys and only 147,755 were girls! That gave a s*x ratio of only 848 in 2007. Why is the sudden spurt in the registration of girl births?
The Government of NCT of Delhi has stated that the higher number of registered births of girls during 2008 manifests a dip in female foeticide and infanticide and to some extent to the effective implementation of the LADLI scheme. This needs to be looked into in depth.
The LADLI scheme envisaged that those girls who were born on or after January 1, 2008, are entitled to cash and non-cash incentives. This resulted in the registration of a large number of girl birth during 2008.
During the month of January 2008 alone, a higher number of girl births were registered and the s*x ratio was 1,090 girl births per 1,000 boy births.
From February to June 2008 the s*x ratio for registered births continued to be favourable for girls. However, during the second half of 2008 – July to December – the s*x ratio declined and hovered around 975.
The question which immediately comes to one's mind is: Why was the higher number of girl births in comparison to boys reported immediately after the announcement of the LADLI scheme and less in the second half of the year? This may perhaps call for verification of the bona fides of beneficiaries under the LADLI scheme.
There is every possibility that the higher s*x ratio during the first half of 2008 is due to the registration of those girl births which did not occur in the NCT of Delhi but elsewhere in the neighbouring areas.
Further, a sizeable number of registered births are non-institutional. During 2007 the share of the non-institutional births was higher in the case of boys (25.4 per cent) than girls (24.9). During 2008 the share of non-institutional births was higher in the case of girls (30.0 per cent) than boys (23.1). The actual place of occurrence of non-institutional births can be quite difficult to verify.
Interestingly, the s*x ratio of the registered births during January-June, 2008, taken together, works out to 1,048 which then declined to 969 in respect of those births which took place during July-December, 2008. Why this shortfall?
There is every possibility that some parents might have got the benefit of the scheme on the basis of false claims. The non-institutional girl births which took place outside Delhi might have been registered by those migrants who came to Delhi, leaving behind their families and took the benefit under the LADLI scheme though the girl was born at the native place of the parents.
This argument is strengthened by the fact that the higher registration of girl births started immediately after the announcement of the LADLI scheme and this continued for the first half and declined in the second half of 2008.
During the four months since the launch of the LADLI scheme, the Delhi government opened 6,000 fixed deposit accounts and another 23,000 claims were being processed. One should thus be careful in interpreting this first high s*x ratio among the registered births in Delhi and verify the factual position. Recently, the Shagun Scheme – which provides Rs 15,000 to eligible Scheduled Castes girls upon marriage – in Punjab has come under scanner where some people received money thrice even though it could only be given twice, received three cheques for one daughter and even issueless mothers received money.
An enquiry has been ordered in this case by the Punjab government. The Delhi government should take heed of the possibility of misuse of an excellent and well-intentioned programme, something that can happen anywhere when a windfall of funds is involved. O.P. Sharma is India Consultant, Population Reference Bureau, Washington-DC, stationed in New Delhi. Carl Haub is a senior demographer at the Population Reference Bureau, Washington-DC
