Punjab tops list of female foeticide cases, Rajasthan second

Punjab tops the list in number of female foeticide cases reported over the last three years with Rajasthan coming next.

The country as a whole reported 294 cases during the same period.

According to figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau, in Punjab, 81 cases were registered for female foeticide while for Rajasthan the corresponding number was 51.

Madhya Pradesh registered 21 cases, Haryana 18 and Chattisgarh 24.

In Rajasthan, the number of cases registered has shown a steady decline since the last three years with 25, 16 and 10 cases being registered in 2006, 2007 and 2008, minister of state for Health Dinesh Trivedi said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The national capital saw seven cases registered in 2006, four in 2007 and two in 2008.

However, despite the large number of cases registered, the rate of conviction for the crime is very low. In Punjab, of the total 81 cases reported, only in two cases conviction has been achieved, that too only in 2008.

Similarly in Rajasthan, there has been conviction in only one case out of 51, he said.

Among the southern states, Karnataka reported the maximum 25 cases in the last there years.