Girl Child Day held
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 24 2023:
The National Girl Child Day 2023 was observed at the Tamphasana Girls' (TG) Higher Secondary School, Imphal today.
Director of Health Services Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, Family Welfare Services Manipur Director Dr Lalthari Hmar, Additional Director and Chairman SAA PC and PNDT Dr Oinam Sanahanbi Devi and retired Principal of TG Higher Secondary School Sangita Ayekpam attended the event as presidium members.
Speaking as the chief guest of the observance, Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang stressed on the importance of maintaining a healthy sex ratio in Manipur and the need for proper care of girl child and women.
He said, the natural sex ratio at birth in Manipur is 1,000 boys per 985 girls and the gap is growing every year.
Further, the growth of a girl child is slower than that of a boy.
In the hill areas of the State, on an average men live longer than the women, he said.
Maintaining a healthy sex ratio requires healthy girls and women.
Proper care should be taken for their healthy growth.
Lack of proper nutrition will result in stunted growth and this will have negative impacts when they give birth.
He also spoke about the ill impact of child sex selection and female foeticide.
When ultrasound became a tool worldwide for detecting and checking the health of unborn children in mothers' wombs, the tool in the wrong hands was used to determine the sex of the unborn.
This resulted in female foeticide, which in turn widened the male-female ratio, he said.
Dr Lalthari Hmar also spoke about the importance of maintaining a healthy sex ratio and the need for caring for girls and women.
When female foeticide is a problem, such incidents have become rare and is a good sign, the doctor said adding women nowadays are at par with their male counterparts in every field.
The observance was jointly organised by the State PC and PNDT (Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques) Cell of the Directorate of Family Welfare Services and State Health Society, National Health Mission Manipur.