Jaisalmer:
The desert districts of Rajasthan - Jaisalmer and Barmer - known for their colourful history of valour and honour, are now offering a sacrifice of a different kind. Newborn girls are being killed after birth.
Female infanticide died out with the coming of the ultrasound machine. Girls were killed off in the womb itself, but it is once again on the rise because families want to take advantage of government schemes which provide Rs 1,800 for having babies delivered in hospitals.
Women deliver daughters in hospitals, take their entitlements and go home. Within days the newborns disappear. Auxillary nurse midwives or ANMs, who supervise pregnancy and child birth in villages, say girls are being disposed off ruthlessly.
"Girls are definitely killed. I won't names castes, but female infanticide is prevalent in some castes, not all. In the last 5 years, there have been many such incidents," said Nakhat D Dheta, Social Worker, Seemant Kisan Sansthan.
Jaisalmer district has a sharply skewed sex ratio of 869 girls per 1000 boys, while Barmer has 919 girls per 1000 boys, way below the national average of 933.
"I've been working here for 8 years now, so I've seen cases of 10-12 girls being killed. Pressure is on the mothers, even husbands say that dowry is the main reason," said Mani Devi, Auxillary nurse midwife.
Villagers themselves remain silent about the practice but it is clear that the government's financial incentives to support girl children have had little impact. Instead, schemes like the Janani Suraksha Yojana, meant to ensure safe deliveries, are now being misused.
"Yes, the number of deliveries have increased. Nobody used to come here earlier. People belong to various castes. I went and explained that they should get their babies delivered here. Both mother and baby will be safe. Female infanticide is taking place in my own village," added Mani Devi.
Whether it's dowry, property or simply son preference, the reality is that daughters are still unwanted in these parts of Rajasthan.