Haryana reports alarmingly low sex ratio at birth, lowest in the last five years
There is an alarming situation brewing in Haryana, the state has registered a dangerous drop since 2016 in the sex ratio at birth (SRB), as per the data collated between January and September 2021. Officials said that a total of 906 girls were born per 1,000 boys this year till September. This is the first time that the SRB has dropped by nine points (the cumulative SRB of Haryana in September last year was 915) after the launch of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme in 2015.
The cumulative SRB up to September 2015 was 868 and it rose to 911 in 2016-17 during the first nine months. In 2018, the SRB came down to 909 (Jan-Sept cycle) and again rose to 919 in the first nine months of 2019.
The dip in the SRB — considered to be a critical indicator of gender equality — has set the alarm bells ringing in the State Government, which has swung into action to keep the flagship programme firmly on track. Officials monitoring the programme said that a series of meetings were held last week after the SRB data was finalised and instructions were issued to the concerned authorities to intensify surveillance and catch touts involved in gender determination to arrest this slide.
It was further reported that Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr Amit Kumar Agrawal, said that the latest dip “is a matter of grave concern.” He said that one of the primary reasons for the dip could be “variation in data.” The first signs of touts outwitting the government machinery and carrying out gender determination had emerged when the cumulative SRB till June 2021 had dipped to 911 from last June's 920. “The issue is linked to Haryana’s reputation. Necessary directions have been issued to the concerned authorities to take strict action. Those violating the law and opting for illegal gender determination tests will not be spared,” Dr Agrawal said.
Rohtak leads, Sonepat lags behind
Rohtak led the state with an SRB of 955, followed by Charkhi Dadri at 937, Panipat at 930, Nuh at 922, Jind and Sirsa at 919 each, Hisar at 916, Panchkula at 910, Kurukshetra at 909, Mahendergarh at 905, Yamunanagar at 902 and Gurugram at 901. While the SRB of seven districts was between 916 and 955, the SRB of five districts ranged between 901 and 910. The SRB of the remaining 10 out of 22 districts slipped below 900, against 5 districts during the same period last year. Another considerable decline.
The worst-performing districts with an SRB hovering between 880 and 899 in the first nine months of 2021 are Palwal (899), Kaithal and Bhiwani (897), Karnal and Faridabad (896), Rewari (892), Ambala (891), Fatehabad (882) Jhajjar and Sonepat (880).
Agrawal urged the doctors of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to not shield those violating the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act and the MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act. Dr Agrawal said that he has already held meetings to sensitise the departments involved in this programme. “I have personally spoken to deputy commissioners of the districts where this dip in the SRB has been registered,” Dr Agarwal said.
Dips and rises in Haryana's SRB numbers
Haryana had registered 922 female births per 1,000 males in 2020 despite the COVID pandemic posing challenges. The annual SRB was 923 in 2019, the highest Haryana had recorded in at least a decade. From 833 in 2011, the annual SRB of the state had improved to 876 in 2015. It rose to 900 in 2016 and after remaining static at 914 in 2017 and 2018, it jumped to 923 in 2019.
"The latest SRB figures are disappointing. We may barely hit the 915-916 annual SRB this year. This is a wake up call because districts such as Sonepat, which were earlier performing well, are slipping. We must fix the gaps fast. There are multiple factors behind this slide,” a key expert involved in the programme said, cautioning that it will be wrong to blame COVID pandemic for this dip in the SRB.
