Female foeticide and atrocities against women were the dominant themes of Raahgiri in this Silk City in south Odisha.
Popular folk dance of Ganjam - Prahallad Nataka - was the main draw of the weekly event yesterday.
The organisers conducted a signature campaign as participants created awareness on female foeticides and called one and all to join the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme, which aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services meant for women.
The campaign assumes significance considering the fact that Ganjam has a lower child sex ratio than the state average.
The child sex ratio in Ganjam district was 908 girls per 1,000 boys as per the last census in 2011. Sources said it was lower than the state average, which stood at 941 girls per 1000 boys.
The declining sex ratio in the district may be attributed to parents' preference of sons to daughters.
"Every individual should pledge to treat their daughter on a par with their son," said Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, Deepak Behera.
