Practice has been prevalent since long, regrets government

DH News Service
GULBARGA, April 2

Social Welfare Minister Kagodu Thimmappa today confirmed the sale of girl babies in the Tandas, under the Konchavaram police station limits of Chincholi taluk. Though the practice was prevalent in the village for a long time, neither the government officials nor elected representatives informed the government, the minister regretted. Speaking to reporters after visiting the Tandas in the Konchavaram Gram Panchayat limits, the minister said acute poverty and illiteracy were the major reasons for the prevalent of practice.

The State government has launched several welfare programmes to uplift the poor in the region, he said. The minister said the girl babies have been accommodated at Saraswathi orphange in Tandur village of Andhra Pradesh and this was revealed by middlemen Parvathibai and Guribai.

The babies were puchased from the poor women by luring them for money, he said. The State police have registered 19 cases in 45 Tandas of Konchavaram police station limits. Already an enquiry by an officer of the rank of superintendent has been initiated and all cases will be settled within a month, Mr Thimmappa said.

A high-level probe will be ordered if the public was dissatisfied, the minister assured. He blamed the police and the elected representatives for keeping the issue under wraps. Stating that the sale and purchase of girl babies was against the law, the minister said poverty forced the Lambani women to sell their children.

The major objective of the probe was to nab the girl babies and take steps to stop such practice in the future, the minister said. The social welfare minister said the government has implemented several schemes like Ambedkar and Ashraya. But the needy had not received any benefits under the schemes.

He also stressed the role of local committees in identifying the beneficiaries under the schemes. As most of the people in the Tandas were dependent on forest produce for their livelihood, the government will chalk out a suitable policy to improve their living conditions. Measures will also be taken to provide jobs for the poor under the self-employment schemes of the government. Under the Ganga Kalyana scheme, land will be distributed to the landless, he said.

The region was also ideal for taking up dairying and other allied agricultural activities, he stressed. Minister of State for Adult Education Baburao Chavan, Chincholi MLA Kailasnath Patil, Superintendent of Police Alok Kumar, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer M Laxminarayana and Vice-President Vijayalaxmi Jamanala were also present.