Patna, Jan. 24: “Societal pressure” often forces people to take some extreme steps like secretly abort a foetus if it’s not a male child.

Now, the state health department is using the same societal pressure to desist people from opting for female foeticide.

For the purpose, the department is using the platform of village health and nutrition day, which is observed once in a month at every Anganwadi centre. During the check-up of women at the centre, pregnancy tests are also carried out and if the reports are positive, a public announcement is made congratulating the would-be parents. The purpose of the announcement is to let other villagers know about the pregnancy and make it difficult for the family of the expecting mother to go for selective foeticide.

The practice of organising health and nutrition day every month was started in October last year.

“Once a pregnancy is announced publicly, it becomes difficult for the family of the expecting mother to go for selective foeticide because of societal pressure. Keeping this fact in mind, we launched this practice from October last year,” health department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha told The Telegraph.

He said something similar had been introduced at Salem district in Tamil Nadu and it proved very effective in checking female foeticide.

In Salem, the pregnancy of a woman is celebrated like a festival in villages. This deters the family of the expecting mother from opting for female foeticide.

One can understand the concern of the Bihar government to address the female foeticide issue, as, contrary to the national trend of growth in the sex ratio, witnessed in the 2011 census, the state recorded a decline in the number of females in the same period.

The health department is likely to take the help of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for developing a kit to study the behavioural changes after introduction of the new system. The study, however, would give qualitative analysis only. “As far as quantitative impact of the move is concerned, one would have to wait for the next census report to get the real picture,” Sinha said.

The department is also planning to launch a similar plan in urban areas, too, for curbing female foeticide. “From the next fiscal, we would organise such monthly programmes at all the wards in urban areas,” the principal secretary said.