The sex ratio is falling so drastically that, in a few years, there will be no Indian women for Indian men to marry," says Rewa Nayyar, member-secretary, National Commission for Women.

That might be a tad exaggerated, but one cannot ignore the danger signal blinking on India's demographic profile. The female-male ratio has been widening worryingly, especially in the 0-6 age group, decreasing from 945/1000 in 1991 to 927/1000 in 2001 (according to the latest census).

The general population ratio is even worse in places like Chandigarh (773/1000), Delhi (821/1000), Haryana (861/1000) and Punjab (874/1000). Health experts say these are some of the lowest sex ratios in the world.

Yet, it has been medically proved that the female foetus is biologically stronger than the male. If both receive equal amounts of medical care and nutrition, the chances of the female child surviving are brighter.

It is not that there is no law to prevent female foeticide in India. The Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994, for example, bans the use of sex determination tests. But millions of Indian women undergo sophisticated ultrasound tests, meant to detect any abnormality in the foetus, to determine its gender.

"It is difficult to break the in-built privacy in a doctor-patient relationship. Neither the mother nor the doctor will admit they aborted the foetus because tests showed it to be female. The police cannot implement the law because there is just no evidence," says Nayyar.

Which is why the government, the NCW and the Indian Medical Association is planning to seek the help of religious leaders to fight female foeticide. Meetings have been planned in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where religious leaders will call upon families to stop the heinous practices of female foeticide and infanticide.

"In the interiors, people still believe strongly in religion," says R Bhama, deputy secretary of the NCW. "If religious leaders from all sects say selective abortion is against the tenets of religious faith, it will work wonders."

Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh has already declared that anyone guilty of female foeticide would be excommunicated.

Swami Jayendra Saraswati, the shankaracharya of Kanchi, has called foeticide a sin for which there is no atonement.

Maulana Mufir Mukaram, the imam of the Fatehpuri Masjid in Agra, has said it is a crime against humanity and God.

Ervad Cawas Darius Bagli, head priest of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman, asked how the hands that should have guided a baby could be used to choke her.

The Indian Medical Association has declared sex determination tests unethical. IMA secretary-general Dr Sanjiv Malik told rediff.com: "We are here to protect doctors, but if we find any of our members guilty of being involved in female foeticide, we will suspend them."

Many IMA members, who were upset because they believed the decision was directed against doctors, were made to realise that they should help combat this social menace instead of becoming its abettors.

Malik adds that with advanced technology helping to determine the gender of the foetus, foeticide is increasingly replacing infanticide in the country. "The only solution is to create awareness," he says. "Even if doctors refuse to do sex determination tests, people will turn to quacks and complicate the issue."

The practice of dowry, says Nayyar, is one of the main reasons for the increase in female foeticide. "Girls are seen as a burden as their marriages entail a huge expenditure," she explains. "Besides, globalisation has resulted in more sophisticated dowry demands. Those who settled for a Maruti car a few years ago now want a Honda City."

With more families opting for a single child, the preference for a male heir -- particularly prevalent in northwestern India -- increases because of property inheritance norms slanted towards males, cultural beliefs in carrying forward the family name, and lucrative dowry rates.

There are rays of hope. In Kerala, for example, there is no such discrimination since girls are valued as much as boys. But with dowry becoming increasingly fashionable there, the scenario might change. Male-female ratios in Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim are also showing marked improvement.

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