Need for cradle baby scheme must go'
The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today said she would be happy only when a situation arose in Tamil Nadu that there was no need for the cradle baby scheme.

Speaking at a meeting at Thanjavur, she said many of the speakers including the Social Welfare Minister, P. Valarmathi, spoke in praise of the ``cradle baby scheme introduced by her''. But Tamil Nadu could become a proud and progressive state only when there was no need for the cradle baby system.

``I was happy when the Thanjavur Collector, S. Kosalaraman, said there were more women than men in the district. I was happier when he said there was no female infanticide in the district. The cradle baby system may not be needed in Thanjavur. But it is necessary in other districts, where female infanticide still persists. People become happy when they get a male child. But they try to abort or kill the female child. I appeal to those who kill or try to kill the girl child to think of what will happen when there are no girls to get their sons married.