By Mubasshir Mushtaq
NEW DELHI
Ending the practice of families aborting girl babies was the focus of a new government drive launched by India's prime minister Thursday.
Narendra Modi launched the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" scheme, which translates as "save girl, educate girl," to encourage greater equality for girls, who are given secondary status in some Indian families.
“We do not have the right to kill the girl child,” he said, alongside renowned Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit and Maneka Gandhi, the minister for women and child development. "The birth of a girl child must be celebrated."
"People want educated daughters-in-law but think several times before educating their daughters," said Modi.
Modi called on Indians to challenge old ideas about girls becoming burdens for families.
"We have reached the Moon and Mars but sadly, still some view the daughter as a burden," said Dixit, congratulating the government for launching the program.
A UN report released in July 2014 warned that the declining child gender ratio in India has reached "emergency" proportions.
India has stringent laws against child-gender determination tests but despite government efforts, illegal abortions across the country are common.
The campaign was launched in the northern state of Haryana, which has the country's lowest girl-to-boy ratio, and will be followed up by a national campaign in 100 selected districts covering all states, with rewards being paid to districts that balance their gender ratios.
The government scheme will address all childcare, education, empowerment, and gender-based violence, according to a statement by the Women and Child Development Ministry.
