Haryana: 11 Point Drop In Sex Ratio at Birth, Lowest Since 2016
The Wire Staff
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
New Delhi: Haryana has recorded an 11-point fall in sex ratio at birth (SRB) between January and May this year as compared to 2022, the Tribune reported.
This is the lowest half-yearly SRB recorded after 2016 in Haryana, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to data from the civil registration system, Haryana’s SRB, 917 at the end of 2022, dropped to 906 in June this year.
In the district-wise breakup, 13 out of the state’s 22 districts registered a fall in SRB over the past six months, while eight saw an improvement.
Charkhi Dadri registered the highest drop of 65 points with an SRB of 868 this year as opposed to 933 in December 2022. It was followed by a 60 point drop in Rohtak, Gurugram (45) and Kaithal (32), the Tribune reported.
Other badly performing districts are Karnal (874), Mewat (910), Fatehabad (926), Panchkula (914), Narnaul (888), Bhiwani (897), Sonepat (885), Palwal (909) and Ambala (922).
On the other hand, Rewari (923) recorded a 40-point improvement in SRB in the past six months followed by Kurukshetra (928) with 35, Jhajjar (919) with 26, Jind (961) with 19, Faridabad (904) with 12, Yamunanagar (933) with 10, Panipat (932) with eight and Hisar (908) with four points, the Tribune report said.
Dr Anil Birla, a civil surgeon from Rohtak told the Tribune that delays in registration of births was one of the main reasons behind the decline.
Haryana’s SRB had shown a steady improvement after the launch of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ in 2015 but had begun declining again by 2020, ThePrint reported.
“When we started the raids seven years ago, sex detection was done through fixed [sonography] machines. Now it has gone underground,” Haryana’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao convenor Girdhari Lal Singhal told ThePrint. Tests are carried out in fields, at isolated spots in villages, or at a relative’s homes, but never in clinics, he added.
The Haryana administration is increasingly relying on “decoys” or pregnant women who help authorities catch those conducting sex determination tests in informal settings, the report said.
However, many pregnant women are reluctant to join even though the state government had started incentivising decoys in 2015. They are paid Rs 25,000 per operation, while informers receive Rs 1 lakh for correct information on doctors, nurses, and middlemen breaking the law.
This article went live on July twentieth, two thousand twenty three, at twenty minutes past twelve at noon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.