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India to give cash to couples who have a daughter

A state government hoping to stem a decline in the proportion of girls in India has announced a 100,000 rupees (US$2,300) bonus for couples who have a single girl and agree to have no further children.

The money, in the form of an insurance policy, will be paid to the girl when she turns 20, provided both parents undergo birth control operations, said Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, the top elected official in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Many Indian parents, especially in villages, prefer boys because they are considered better suited to help earn money, while marrying off girls means paying dowries. The preference for boys has skewed the sex ratio in India, a nation of more than 1.06 billion people. The number of girls per 1,000 boys declined in India from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001, according to government census-takers.

The decline is attributed largely to prenatal tests that allow parents to check the gender of their unborn child, leading to abortions when the fetus is female. Such testing is illegal and the Indian government has sought to crack down on the practice, but some doctors flout the rule for money.

In Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said the insurance scheme "has emerged out of the government's concern for the welfare of the girl child."
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