It seems hard to believe but in India an estimated 750,000 baby girls are aborted just for being female.

But Kulwant Dhaliwal, of Rosemoor Gardens, Appleton, is campaigning to stop female foeticide.

“Female foeticide is such a big problem in India. People think girls are a burden but I try to change their mind,” said Mr Dhaliwal, “we have no right to kill someone.”

The 49-year-old took on the work of his father’s trust, helping the Bir Raohe village in the Punjab, 10 years ago.

He added: “At first I tried to give education to kids then I adopted all their girls and asked them not to kill anyone.”

Female foeticide is prevalent across areas of India and the dowry system, where a girl’s family must pay her husband’s family when the two marry, is largely to blame for the view that girls are unwanted by some.

Many poor people simply cannot afford to pay the huge sums of money expected by many on their daughter’s wedding and instead choose to pay for secret abortions.

Some companies offering ultrasound scans to find out what sex their child will be have advertised their services by saying ‘spend 600 rupees now, save 50,000 rupees later’.

The birth rates comparatively between boys and girls in India paints a distressing figure, with 725 girls born for every 1,000 boys.

But in the village were he has adopted every girl that is not the case.

Mr Dhaliwal proudly says that the birth rate is 1,070 girls for every 980 boys born.

The battle extends to giving women equal rights as, according to Mr Dhaliwal, girls are not treated fairly, even for some Indian families living in the UK.

“They do not give equal rights to women, even in modern society,” he added.

But now his message of equality is starting to spread across the region through work done with Bir Raohe the idea of equal rights between boys and girls.

Mr Dhaliwal said: “They are passing the message on to other villages.”

And the Indian Government have made female foeticide illegal but it is thought that families still bribe doctors to carry tests to see what their child is going to be.

His message is also being spread in the UK and he is urging people to get together and like he is, adopt a village and look after the children to offer equal rights to both boys and girls.

Mr Dhaliwal, who combines his work in India with helping to run his family fashion business, was praised by his work with a humanitarian award from the Conservative Party.