Trend reversal in tribal-dominated districts

Times of India, Sept 15, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: Contrary to popular perception that education can uproot superstition, the sex ratio in Orissa's coastal district is much lesser
compared to the under-developed tribal areas. According to the 2001 census, tribal-dominated Gajapati district has the highest sex ratio of 1,031 followed by Rayagada with 1,029. Nabarangpur, another tribal district, has the highest child sex ratio with 1,002 girls per 1,000 boys.

"Most tribal societies are female-dominated and they consider more children as assets. Thus their sex ratio is better than the coastal districts," said faculty of women studies in Utkal University Amrita Patel. Also, these districts are less developed. So people do not have access to sex determination tests and cases of female foeticide are remarkably less.

Similarly, the sex ratio is quite encouraging in Kandhamal with 1,008, Nuapada 1,006, Kalahandi 1,000, Koraput 998, Malkangiri 996 against the state average of 972 per 1,000 boys.

Ironically, districts like Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur which are leading in literacy rate have recorded lowest sex ratio of 901, 939, 938 and 962 respectively.

"Sex ratio has declined in areas where people are better off because they can afford medical intervention. Contrary is the situation in tribal-dominated districts," said Dr Diptee Patnaik, a social activist working in the health sector.

In case of child sex ratio (population between 0 and 6 years), only Nabarangpur district has more number of girls than boys as there are 1002 girls per 1000 boys in the district. "It points to the fact that the society discriminates against the female child," Patel said.

Patnaik said, "The state government needs to take up a sustained awareness drive similar to that of the pulse polio campaign to put an end to female foeticide."