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Gujarat Hospital Waives Fee On Birth Of Baby Girls

"The country and every community needs to celebrate birth of a girl."
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If you have a baby girl at the Sindhu Hospital in Gujarat then all you have to do is cherish her, while the hospital takes care of the bill.

The Ahmedabad-based hospital launched this initiative last month to counter the appalling sex ratio of 890 girls per 1,000 boys in the state, which below the national average, The Times of India reported today.

So far, 150 couples have registered for a free delivery which would other cost Rs.7,000 for a normal delivery of Rs. 20,000 for a C-section, TOI reported. Additionally, the hospital will return Rs.1,100 registration fee on the birth of a baby girl and throw a small party for her.

The 2011 census data showed that the sex ratio has declined from 927(1000) in 2001 to 914(1000) in the country.

Mahadev Lohana, managing director of Sindhu Hospital, said that for years, the hospital administration had observed how people prayed for a boy and distributed sweets if they had a son, but "a girl's arrival would be met with stoic acceptance."

"The trust decided it was time to celebrate arrival of a daughter," Lohana told TOI. "The country and every community needs to celebrate birth of a girl."

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.