The state government has decided to dedicate the year 2013 to its daughters as the gap between male-female ratio continues to be wide in some districtsa such as Jammu, Samba and Kathua even though the authorities have launched a comprehensive awareness campaign against female foeticide. On Monday while addressing a function, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma announced that the state would dedicate the year 2013 to daughters and observe it as “Save the Girl Child” year. “As part of a campaign against female foeticide and to promote the girl child, the state health department will dedicate 2013 to daughters,” Sharma said. “The aggressive campaign launched by the government, after witnessing a drastic decline in the male-female ratio in the 0-6 age group in 2011 census, has received good results in many parts but some districts still lag behind the national average,” said Dr Yashpal Sharma, project director of National Rural Health Mission. He said “materialistic” and “urbanised” people of these “developed” districts were adopting modern techniques for female foeticide. While the national average ratio is 914 girls against 1,000 boys, it is 795 in Jammu, 836 in Kathua and 787 in Samba districts. Dr Sharma said that the real picture of “improved” male-female ratio would emerge in the next census but the block level review meetings conducted by the Health Department were showing encouraging trends. The juvenile gender ratio (0-6 years) has given sleepless nights to the Health Department as it is the most realistic indicator of trends in female foeticide and continuing discrimination against the girl child. The state has witnessed a steep fall in the male-female ratio, especially the juvenile gender ratio, during the last one decade. In 2001, the gender ratio (for 0-6 years) was 941 females against 1,000 males and it came down to 859 in 2011. The national average juvenile gender ratio is 914. “We are convening block-level meetings after every three years to get village-level feedback about the juvenile gender ratio,” he said and claimed that situation had improved in most parts of the state except the three districts. Sharma said the Health Department was also thinking about enhancing the cash reward for getting information of doctors or families involved in female foeticide. In 2011, the cash reward was Rs 25,000; it was hiked up to Rs 50,000 the next year. “Now we are planning to double the cash reward up to Rs 100,000,” he said. Jammu and Kashmir is the first state which has announced such an award. As against the national average ratio of 914 girls against 1000 boys, the male-female ratio in the state is 889 girls against 1,000 boys.