The Save Daughter, Educate Daughter campaign of the central government is spreading across 61 more districts than the earlier 100, announced Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. At the All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur, the Women and Child Welfare Minister insisted that the programme has raked in encouraging results which is why more districts are going to be added into the scheme.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to extend to 61 more villages

“Beti Padhao Beti Bachao was the idea of the Prime Minister and it has delivered good results... Now, the government will add 61 more districts in this programme," she said, in a report by TOI.

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The names of the districts remain undisclosed. However, the annual review of the scheme that was initiated by the Prime Minister himself in Sonipat, Haryana, show that 50% districts out of the 100 display transforming results. Now people are giving birth to girl child and are also motivated to send their girls to schools.

This scheme was majorly activated in states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as these states have a bad reputation of a wide gap in gender ratio and illiteracy. But the one-year analysis show that even the state governments have helped in restoring equality in gender ratio.

In the same speech she gave, she came up with a new resolve to stop female foeticide. She suggested that the gender of the child should be revealed during the routine sonography.

Image By Newscammando

This suggestion rejects the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques act of the law which disallows the practice of medics to tell the sex of the unborn child to anyone.

Maneka Gandhi further suggested that instead of punishing doctors, a record should be kept of all the pregnant women since the time they go for their first check-up. The names must be registered and timely checking on them will help determine the actual culprit of the social evil.

Tell pregnant women of the sex of the unborn baby, says Maneka Gandhi

“Instead of penalising sonographers, this will be better way to end female foeticide. How many people can we keep penalising or arresting?” she asked, speaking at the two-day All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur, as written by the Hindustan Times.

Though, nothing on this idea has been finalised yet. She is yet to put this solution across to the central government. But in her opinion, this is a different way of looking at the problem.

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This may appear to be looking at the problem from a different angle, however, this does not sound too feasible. Keeping a track of a few doctors is much more viable than keeping a record of thousands of pregnant women. Also, it has been pointed out by many, that discrepancies might creep in the report if women really want no other child and go for an abortion.

Picture Credit- Livemint