The girl child ratio in industrially-developed Jharsuguda district is 900 or even less against 1,000 number of male child. If such trend continues in the district, the situation would be quite alarming, said district Collector Parmeshwaran B on Wednesday. Chairing an orientation and training programme held for the district functionaries and officials at the DRDA conference hall, the Collector said that parents are not willing to have a girl child despite a sound economic growth which leads to gender disparity in the society.
State Social Welfare Board Chairperson Nivedita Nayak expressed concern over the increasing rate of women trafficking in Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts. She underlined the need for gender sensitisation among school and college students. Similarly, Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) Chairperson Kishore Kumar Mohanty said that consciousness on gender equality in civil society is the need of the hour to control women trafficking, sexual abasement and violence against women in the society. Besides, Professor P Yasodhara joined the meeting as resource person and discussed on the gender construct and gender concept.