Girl Found Abandoned


A newborn baby girl was found abandoned by the roadside in Pali district in Rajasthan - the latest such incident in a state where the sex ratio is terribly skewed.
Police said Sunday the baby was found abandoned in Bidi Paldi village near Sumerpur area of Pali district, some 300 km from state capital Jaipur.
The baby has been admitted to hospital in critical condition.
The unidentified baby, who was born prematurely, was found Saturday evening by a group of pilgrims.
?The baby was crying loudly. The pilgrims informed the police following which she was taken to hospital in an ambulance. We have registered a case against unidentified persons and launched investigations,? a police officer told IANS.
Many recent instances of baby girls being left abandoned have been reported in the state.
In August, a nine-month-old baby girl was found on the doorstep of a children's home in Jodhpur with a note in English from the parents saying that they are going out of town and would return to claim her in a couple of months.
In July, a newborn girl was found abandoned in a railway crossing control room in Dungarpur district.
Similarly, a newborn baby girl was found abandoned in Rajasthan's Ganganagar district in January. The baby died later in hospital.
According to Census 2011, Rajasthan has 883 girls between the age of 0-6 for every 1,000 boys. The child sex ratio in 2001 was 909.
Alarmed at the skewed sex ratio, the state government recently announced steps to curb prenatal sex determination tests at ultrasound clinics.
The steps include increasing the number of health department inspection teams and equipping them with devices, such as hidden cameras and voice recorders.
The state government has also increased the amount of money given to anyone who complains about ultrasound clinics carrying out such tests.