Lucknow, Oct 31 (ANI): The world's population touched another milestone today as the symbolic seventh-billionth baby was born to a farmer couple on the outskirts of Lucknow.
The baby girl, named Nargis, a girl child weighing 3.0 kg was born to Vinita and Ajay Kumar Yadav, at a local health centre in Dannaur village in Malihabad on the outskirts of Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow city along with six other children.
The UN has not designated one specific child in the world as the seventh billionth baby.
However, events are being held in various countries to certify a particular child born on Monday as 'one of the 7 billionth babies'.
Meanwhile in Dannaur, an ecstatic Yadav told reporters gathered outside the health centre to celebrate the occasion that he could barely contain his happiness and was pleased that God had gifted him with a daughter.
"I have received so much happiness because my girl was born today. People get happy when they have a son, but we are happy because a girl was born. God has gifted me with a daughter and I am very happy," a visibly beaming father said.
Plan International, a global non government organisation had identified Ajay and Vinita as the parents of the symbolic seven billionth child following indications that the global population would reach the milestone on October 31 and the probability of the child being born in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh led them to zero down on this family.
Doctor Neelam Singh, member of Plan International, said they were celebrating the birth as a milestone for comprehensive action for survival rights of girls.
"We believed that any child that would be born today and especially the ratio of girls is declining in Uttar Pradesh and in our country, that's why on this occasion we want to talk about the girl rights and that's why the child born in the family of Ajay and Vinita, whom they have names Nargis, we have symbolically identified as the seven billionth child," Singh said.
Health workers and NGOs also marked the day to draw attention to the plight of girl child whose numbers have been alarmingly dropping in the country following indiscriminate abortions of the female foetuses in a society where there is overwhelming preference for sons.
Plan India's executive director Bhagyashri Bengle, said all the seven children, five of them girls, born at the community health centre would be sponsored for the first seven years of their lives, considered critical for childhood survival and development.
"Every child has a right to survive and receive all basic rights," Bengle said. (ANI)
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