Under the prevailing conditions, when female infanticides is growing at a rapid pace even among the urbanites. A sex determination test with loosened regulations might prove disastrous for a nation like ours. Voicing similar opinion to media reports about relaxing the ban on sex determination tests, the government firmly said no such proposal was under consideration of the Planning Commission at Delhi, Friday.

The official communiqué released by the government stated that recently a news item appeared in media suggesting that there is a proposal under consideration in the Planning Commission to relax ban on sex determination tests. It may be mentioned that the ‘Child Sex Ratio’ is a monitorable goal of the 11th Five Year Plan. Census 2011 data has revealed that there is a steep decline in the Child Sex Ratio in the country and the situation has not improved during the last decade. Further it has been noted that the girl child faces adverse environment in the early growth period also.

Planning commission supports creating and developing environment where all children grow healthy irrespective of their gender. This implies care and protection to the pregnant women regardless of whether the fetus is male or female. However, serious efforts have to be made to protect the girl child. Support to girl child will result in restoring honor, protection and revalorization of the child. With a view to formulate the 12th Five Year Plan, Planning Commission has constituted a large number of Steering Committees, Working Groups and other Task Force, Sub-Groups. Each Committee and group has 15 to 20 members. Members are requested to give their views / comments / observations on the issues which are to be addressed in the 12th Five Year Plan as per terms of reference and related matters.

Reports of various Working Groups and Steering Committees are under preparation and inputs from these reports will be included in the 12th Five Year Plan.

So the next time you and your spouse plan parenthood, consult the doc only for the health of the developing baby inside and do not question to determine its sex. Because without the two of you, this achievement would not have been possible. And girls are no where behind boys, they excel most of the times.