Panipat (Haryana), Jan 14 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Saturday expressed concern over the declining sex ratio in the country, pointing out that sex ratio between the age group of 0 to six years was the lowest after India’s independence in August 1947.

Addressing an international symposium on ‘Women and Child Empowerment’ to mark the 175th birth anniversary of noted poet and social reformer, Maulana Khawaja Altaf Hussain Hali at Hali Park here, Patil said the statistics of Census 2011 were shocking as far as sex ratio was concerned.

“In the age group of 0 to six years, there were 914 girls per 1,000 boys and this being the lowest after freedom of the country is an issue of concern,” she said.

The president said efforts of the Haryana government for women’s empowerment had helped in improvement of sex ratio in the state.

Haryana, which had the worst sex ratio at 861 females per 1,000 males earlier (2001 Census), had improved the figures in the 2011 Census with 877 females per 1,000 males.

Describing female foeticide as a heinous crime, Patil said every person should come forward to eradicate this social evil and ensure equal status for women in all spheres of life.

She said that she herself has taken an initiative as per which brave girls who have set an individual example against social evils were invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“I urge people to encourage such girls,” she said.

She added that the social development of any nation could be assessed by the condition in which the women were living.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda praised the efforts made by Hali in empowering women.

“Hali raised his voice when the condition of women was deteriorating in the society,” Hooda said.