Alarming! Sex ratio at birth significantly dips in 17 states including Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra

New Delhi, February 18: Despite the huge success of a social campaign 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' that focused on generating awareness and improving the efficiency of welfare services to girls, the sex ratio at birth saw a significant decline in 17 out of 21 large states of the country.

 

Notably, the Niti Aayog released a report that stated the sex ratio at birth (SRB) saw a decline in 17 out of 21 large states of the country, with Gujarat recording an alarming dip of 53 points. However, after the releases of a report, the Niti Aayog stressed on the need to check sex-selective abortion.

According to the ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’ report, among the 17 states which recorded significant drop of 10 points or more are Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka etc. In Gujarat, the SRB fell to 854 females from 907 females per 1,000 males born registering a drop of 53 points from 2012-14 (base year) to 2013-15 (reference year) in this indicator.

While Haryana registered a drop of 35 points, Rajasthan with 32 points, Uttarakhand with 27 points, Maharashtra with 18 points, Himachal Pradesh with 14 points, Chhattisgarh with a drop of 12 points, and Karnataka with 11 points.

The report of NITI Aayog said, “There is a clear need for states to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and take appropriate measures to promote the value of the girl child.”

According to the report, improvement in SRB was witnessed in Punjab, which registered a rise of 19 points, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10 points and Bihar with 9 points. The sex ratio at birth is an important indicator and reflects the extent to which there is a reduction in the number of girl children born by sex-selective abortions, the report noted.