THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 1, 2016- Topic 1
It is a cruel irony of a
fast-growing India that there are fewer and fewer girls as a ratio of total
births, as a result of complex factors that include parental preference. New
data from the Civil Registration System of the Registrar General of India point
to the hardening of the pattern, with a fall in sex ratio at birth from 898
girls to 1,000 boys in 2013, to 887 a year later. This depressing trend is
consistent with evidence from the Census figures of 2001 and 2011. What is
shocking is that the overall data mask the horror of particular districts and
panchayats falling well below the national ratio, especially in the zero-to-six
years assessment category. The scourge has, in some cases, prompted the Supreme
Court to take note of the situation, and the National Human Rights Commission
to ask for an explanation from State governments. In the understanding of the
Centre, which it has conveyed to Parliament, girls stand a poor chance at
survival because there is a “socio-cultural mindset” that prefers sons, girls
are seen as a burden, and family size has begun to shrink. The BJP-led
government responded to the silent crisis with the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’
campaign, which focusses on the prevention of sex-selective abortions, creation
of opportunities for education and protection of girl children. Now that the
scheme is set to enter its third year in January, there should be a speedy
assessment of its working, particularly in districts with a poor sex ratio
where it has been intensively implemented.
A wider assessment needs to
be made on why States such as Tamil Nadu with a strong social development
foundation have slipped on sex ratio at birth (834), going by the CRS data for
2014. The cradle baby scheme was started in 1992 in Tamil Nadu to raise the
survival chances of girl children by encouraging mothers to give them
anonymously for adoption. Yet, the latest numbers, together with the
persistence of the programme after 24 years, and 260 babies being abandoned in
just one centre over a six-year period, make it clear that national policy has
achieved little in real terms. Clearly, there is a need to go beyond slogans
and institute tangible schemes. Enforcement of the law that prohibits
determination of the sex of the foetus must go hand in hand with massive social
investments to protect both immediate and long-term prospects of girls — in the
form of cash incentives through registration of births, a continuum of health
care, early educational opportunities and social protection. Half-measures
cannot produce a dramatic reversal of the shameful national record.
Vocabulary
Irony: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies
the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Example: “Don't go overboard with the gratitude,” he rejoined with heavy irony
Synonyms: sarcasm, causticity, cynicism, mockery, satire, sardonicism
Hardening: make or become hard or harder.
Example: Wait for the glue to harden
Synonyms: solidify, set, congeal, clot, coagulate, stiffen, thicken, cake, cure
Consistent: unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.
Example: Manufacturing processes require a consistent approach
Synonyms: constant, regular, uniform, steady, stable, even, unchanging, undeviating
Mask: a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or
terrify other people.
Example: Disguising myself with this mask would be the key to winning Leah back!
Synonyms: disguise, false
face, domino, visor
Scourge: a whip used as an instrument of punishment.
Example: Begone, or shall I be required to chastise you with the whip and the
scourge once more?
Synonyms: whip, horsewhip, lash, strap, birch, switch
Survival: the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an
accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.
Example: The animal's chances of survival were pretty low
Intensive: concentrated on a single area or subject or into a short time; very
thorough or vigorous.
Example: She undertook an intensive Arabic course
Synonyms: thorough, thoroughgoing, in-depth, rigorous, exhaustive, all-inclusive
Cradle: an infant's bed or crib, typically one mounted on rockers.
Example: Cribs, cradles and bassinets are traditionally woven from wickerwork.
Synonyms: crib, bassinet, cot, rocker
Persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty
or opposition.
Example: Companies must have patience and persistence, but the rewards are there
Tangible: perceptible by touch.
Example: The atmosphere of neglect and abandonment was almost
tangible