Minority panel wants jathedars to fight foeticide

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has decided to take up the cause of the missing girl child and it would begin with the Sikhs an...

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has decided to take up the cause of the missing girl child and it would begin with the Sikhs and Punjabis, keeping in view the high incidence of female foeticide in the two communities. To this end, the NCM has invited jathedars from across the country for a briefing in the second week of October to drive home its point.

The move comes in the wake of an analysis of the recently released population census report by a four-member committee set up by the NCM. The committee, in its report, has identified the ‘‘skewed sex ratio in some states and communities as the most serious demographic problem’’. Headed by Prof Ashish Bose, the committee has Prof P.M. Kulkarni, Prof Mari Bhat and Prof T.K. Roy as its other members.

Bose told The Indian Express, ‘‘For us, the sharp decline in the child sex ratio among Sikhs and Hindus in Punjab, in Haryana and some other states is the most serious issue since it can cause a devastating social and economic fallout in the very near future.’’

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Bose would make a power-point presentation for the jathedars with the help of a ‘‘Punjabi translator’’. ‘‘We will make a scientific presentation before them to explain why they must intervene to correct the already skewed sex ratio among the Sikhs,’’ he said, adding that Punjabis need to change their ‘‘munda chahiya’’ (baby boy wanted) slogan to ‘‘maintain their economic growth’’. ‘‘I must tell the jathedars that the Punjabis may not have enough farm hands to sustain the green revolution if they keep killing their unborn girls with impunity.’’

The committee, which was set up in the wake of the controversy over the census report, is expected to submit its report within six months, Bose said.

He added that the committee would next target the Parsis, which the census report termed a vanishing community. ‘‘Parsis are rich people and having more children should not be a problem for them,’’ he said.

Bose blamed political parties for shifting the focus from the ‘‘real issues’’ by trying to politicising the census report.