BHOPAL (TIP): It is sure to come as an eye opener for the state government that claims to have left no stone unturned for the welfare of minor girls.

Madhya Pradesh has recorded the highest number of child rape and foeticide cases in the country. Overall, the state is only second after Uttar Pradesh in crimes against minors.

The startling revelation has been made in ‘Children in India 2012 – A statistical appraisal’, a recently-released report of ministry of statistics and programme implementation of the government of India. It states that 7,112 cases of child rape cases were reported in the country during 2011, as compared to 5,484 in 2010. The state reported the highest number of rape cases of minor girls (1,262) followed by UP (1,088) and Maharashtra (818). Similarly, 132 cases of foeticide were reported in 2011, of which the highest number was registered in MP, followed by Chattisgarh and Punjab. In 2011, the crime against children reported a 24% increase from the previous year with 33,098 cases of crime against minors reported in the country during 2011 compared to 26,694 cases a year earlier.

Uttar Pradesh accounted for 16.6% of total crimes against children in 2011, followed by Madhya Pradesh (13.2%), Delhi (12.8%), Maharashtra (10.2%), Bihar (6.7%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%).