At least 9m female fetuses killed in India between 2000, 2019 Due to feticide, female-male ratio in Himachal Pradesh fell to 932:1,000 NEW DELHI: The northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has unveiled plans for an incentive scheme offering $2,400 to the parents of single girls in a bid to eradicate the practice of female feticide. Female feticide is the selective abortion of female fetuses. At least 9 million female fetuses were killed in India between 2000 and 2019, according to estimates by Pew Research Center. The practice, although banned, results in a drop in the ratio of females to males. Ministry of Women and Child Development data showed that in Himachal Pradesh the ratio had dropped to 932:1,000 in 2022-23 from 944:1,000 in 2020-21. The ratio is far below the national average of 1,020 females to every 1,000 males. To stop the trend, the state government has announced the Indira Gandhi Girl Child Protection Scheme, named after India’s first female prime minister. “Families who adopt family planning after the birth of the first girl child will get 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,400) and those who adopt family planning after the second (girl) child will get $1,200 as incentive,” Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, told reporters on Thursday. “Today, girls were participating enthusiastically in every field and bringing laurels to the nation and the state as well. They are emerging leaders in every field and marching forward with confidence.” The ratio of men to women, especially across rural regions in India, has long been a problem highlighted by rights activists. “In some villages in the state the sex ratio is a matter of concern with many young boys unable to find a bride to marry,” Nirmal Chandel, coordinator of the NGO Social Uplift Through Rural Action, which works for women’s empowerment, told Arab News. “The announcement by the chief minister is a good move and it would encourage parents to be content with girl children and not hanker after a male child.”