Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board Prema Cariappa at a meet in Ranchi. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Nov. 10: Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) chairperson Prema Cariappa today said that the board in Jharkhand would focus on controlling female foeticide in the state.

Speaking to journalists here today, Cariappa said the board was chalking out a plan to address the female foeticide issue. It would also work to control the problem of migration of tribal girls of Jharkhand to metro cities in search of jobs.

“All around the county, female foeticide has become a serious issue, which needs to be tackled. The country has lost about one crore girl children to foeticide in the last 20 years,” said Cariappa.

The CSWB chairperson also met chief minister Shibu Soren today and urged him to recommend names of candidates from Jharkhand who could be appointed as the chairperson of Jharkhand State Social Welfare Board.

Since November 2004 when the then chairperson Usha Jha completed her terms, the post has been lying vacant. Cariappa said that the state has not bothered to recommend any name for the post since then.

“I have asked him to send three names, one of whom would look after the Jharkhand unit,” Cariappa said.

Cariappa, along with other officials of the CSWB, has come to the state capital to take part in the foundation day celebration of the Jharkhand State Social Welfare Board. Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and State Women Commission chairperson Laxmi Singh were also present in the function.

Cariappa said the Centre has allotted Rs 8crore to the state unit of the board to carry out various welfare works in the area. These include facilitating condense courses for drop out children, running helplines for women in trouble, building short stay homes for women and girls rescued from difficulties.

The board should also construct hostels for working girls. “Even the state capital does not have a hostel for working girls,” she pointed out.

“We have plans to open some hostels for such girls. Construction of short stay homes in Ranchi and others cities is also on the cards,” Cariappa Said.

Meanwhile, women right advocates suggested Cariappa to open centres for women who are being forced by the family to abort girl child. “The mothers should be given free legal aid to fight against their kin who force them to abort the girl child. The girls, likewise, should be given free educa- tion and enabled to fight back the social menace,” said Saroj Bhagat, an activist.

Earlier, while talking about the female foeticide, Cariappa said in Jharkhand the female foetcide was not as alarming as in other states like Punjab and Haryana. “Our tribal sisters have a much better social status than women in other parts of the country,” she added.

In India, the sex ratio has declined from 945:1000 (1991) to 927:1000 (2001). In the state of Punjab, the female male ratio is 793: 1000 while in Haryana it is 861: 1000, she added.

However, she pleaded ignorance when asked about the sex ratio in Dhanbad (874), Bokaro (894), East Singhbhum (879) and Deoghar (914).