Alarming fall in female population

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 16. There has been a disturbing demography in the country as far as the sex ratio is concerned: the female population is coming down, as revealed in the 1991 census. The sex ratio was 960 females per 1,000 males, compared to 983 per 1,000 in 1901 in Karnataka and for the country it was 927 per 1,000 in 1991 compared to 972 in 1901.

Making a presentation on the census preparation for 2001, the Director of Census Operations, Karnataka, Mr. H.Shashidhar, said that massive and elaborate arrangements were being made for enumeration of Census, which was not just counting of heads, but of multiple factors giving an insight into socio- economic patterns in the country. He was making a presentation at the State-level conference of Principal Census Officers and Chief Executive Officers of zilla panchayats.

He said a large number of officers were being imparted training in concepts and definitions for filling up the household schedules to be canvassed during the ensuing population enumeration between February 9 and 28, followed by a revisional round from March 1 to 5.

He said the literacy rate in Karnataka was 56 per cent in 1991 compared to the national average of 52 per cent. The major composition of the population was 66.22 per cent Kannada speaking; 9.98 per cent Urdu; 7.39 per cent Telugu and 3.8 per cent Tamil.

Hindus, he said, constituted 85.45 per cent of the population, followed by 11.64 Muslims and 1.91 per cent Christians.

Inaugurating the conference, the Chief Secretary, Mr. B.K. Bhattacharya, said elections, Census, and land surveys which were massive operations, showed the strength of the Indian bureaucracy.

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Section  : Southern States
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