Speaking at a two-day State-level symposium on ‘female foeticide’ jointly organised by State Resource Centre and Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Saragur on Saturday he said the sex ratio is much lower in as many as 13 districts when compared to the State ratio. He said the Department in its Budget has proposed Rs 35 lakh for the Cell, with dedicated staff, to undertake training, workshop and education programmes on PNDT Act.

Realising the importance of community approach to the health programmes in the grassroots level, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), an army of community health workers would be set up in every village, taluk and district, under NRHM, Gopal said.

Already 11,200 ASHA workers have been identified in nine districts, who will help the health workers in collecting data on population and sex ratio in their respective jurisdiction and another 26,000 workers will be identified for the same”, he added. He said rules are being framed and it would help regulate private nursing homes, which are conducting sex-determination tests.