Puri: Concerned over low sex ratio (873 females to 1,000 males) among Srimandir servitors, Garabadu Niyog, the association of Brahmin servitors, has decided to provide financial incentives to its members for the birth of every girl child.
As per the decision, Garabadu Niyog will provide a financial incentive of `10,000 to its members for the birth of each girl child. “We will provide the amount on the first birthday of the girl,” said the association’s secretary Rajat Pratihari.
A socio-economic survey on Srimandir servitors conducted by Bhubaneswar-based Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Developmental Studies in 2013 claimed that 1,462 servitors’ families are associated with the 12th century shrine.
The survey estimated that the total population of servitors’ families stood at 8,110. As per the findings of the survey, the sex ratio or gender ratio among Srimandir servitors is only 873 females to 1,000 males, much lower than the overall sex ratio in Odisha (979 females to 1,000 males, 2011 census)
The survey said that sex ratio was low among Rajguru, Pushpalaka, Khuntia, Pratihari, Daita, Pania, Pania Apat, Datta Mahapatra, Ghatuara, Bimanbadu, Pradhani, Chhatar Olar, Ghantua, Kotha Suansua, Chunara, Lenka, Jogania Mekap, Behera Karan, Mahabhoi and Dala Behera servitor communities.
The survey has recommended several measures to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for improving the sex ratio. “The survey had suggested financial incentives, scholarships for higher education and setting up of a special school,” said a source familiar with the development.
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