Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Oct 31: For the villagers of Mall around 40 kms of Lucknow some mantrijiis expected to visit the Community Health Centre (CHC) on Monday. It is perhaps due to the festive look at  CHC which is all geared up to welcome the world's seven billionth baby on Monday.

All the beds were covered with clean bedsheet, special cleanliness drive was undertaken in the whole campus and banner and buntings put up to commemorate the child birth on Monday. A special stage has also been erected for the event. The CHC however had seven births on Sunday which included five females and two male children. "We will be considering the birth that take place between midnight on Sunday to noon at Monday. In case no such birth takes place we may project these
children who are born on Sunday," said Anjani, a volunteer at Vatsalya which is celebrating the event along with Plan-India.

The child will be welcomed by eminent personalities including scion of Kirloskar group Aditi Kirloskar, Country Director, Plan India, Bhagyashree Dengle, former zamindar family of Mall, Gayatri Singh and District Magistrate (DM) Kismat Anil Sagar. "We have received messages from several celebrities who have supported our cause. We want to also utilise the opportunity for raising awareness towards India's seven million "missing" girls, who became victim to female foeticide and
infanticide," said State Director, Plan India, Sudipta Bandapanda.

Celebrities as Mallika Sarabhai, Sunita Narain and Abha Narain have sent their congratulatory messages.

At the ground level, volunteers of the NGOs were busy zeroing in on the expectant mothers in Mall locality. More than 50 of them have been shortlisted and arrangements have been made to ferry them in case of delivery. Even though United Nations Population Fund ( UNPF) has not pinpointed where the landmark baby would be born, experts have identified a particular area in the vicinity of Lucknow.

As per Dr Neelam Singh who heads the NGO Vatsalya, the first child born after midnight will be formally accorded the status of seven billionth baby. A birth certificate will be issued as a mark of identity. However, NGOs will rope in seven other children preferably females to project them as part of seven billion baby celebrations.

For next seven years they will be looked after by Vatsalya.