Haryana: Dip in sex ratio at birth: Fact-finding report calls for immediate corrective action

Taking cognisance of Hindustan Times report, (Haryana’s sex ratio at birth dips below 900 in 11 dists; August 6), WCD minister Shruti Choudhry on August 8 directed commissioner and secretary, WCD, and director, WCD, to submit a “comprehensive fact-finding” report by Monday.

With the sharp fall in Haryana’s mid-year sex ratio at birth (SRB) setting the alarm bells ringing in the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government, the women and child development (WCD) department on Monday called for “immediate corrective intervention,” government functionaries privy to the matter said.

With the sharp fall in Haryana’s mid-year sex ratio at birth (SRB) setting the alarm bells ringing in the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government, the women and child development (WCD) department on Monday called for “immediate corrective intervention,” government functionaries privy to the matter said. (Representational image)

Taking cognisance of Hindustan Times report, (Haryana’s sex ratio at birth dips below 900 in 11 dists; August 6), WCD minister Shruti Choudhry on August 8 directed commissioner and secretary, WCD, and director, WCD, to submit a “comprehensive fact-finding” report by Monday.

Sources say that in view of the directions the minister had issued, the WCD department has fixed a meeting for Wednesday with health department doctors, district programme officers and officers associated with the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao abhiyaan to review the issue.

At the core of the government’s worry is the fact that SRB of 11 out of Haryana’s 22 districts has gone down to the lowest 829 and the highest 895 girls per 1,000 boys till June 2026 even as the annual SRB of these 11 districts recorded in December 2025 stood between 901 and 951.

“A decline in SRB has reportedly been observed in several districts during the period up to June 2026...the magnitude of decline in certain districts warrants immediate corrective intervention rather than waiting for the end of the year,” says the one-page report sent to the minister, WCD department sources aware of the matter said.

The fact-finding report that gives point-wise reply to the issues the WCD minister had raised, says that the reported decline in Panipat and Panchkula is “particularly significant.” The report suggests district-level fact verification, including examination of registration data, birth data, ultrasound-related regulatory data and implementation of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and the PCPNDT Act that prohibits sex determination.

The WCD department’s report, which is based on the Civil Registration System, says that the decline is not uniform across all districts and that it varies considerably from district to district.

“The districts requiring particular attention include Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Panchkula and Panipat, where the reported decline is about 64, 27, 62 and 37 points, respectively, in comparison with the corresponding cumulative position of the previous year,” the report says, adding that among the possible reasons for decline in SRB are social and behavioural factors, “persistence of son preference” and data reporting and registration issues.

The officials have suggested to intensify “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” awareness activities, strict enforcement of the legal framework, particularly the PCPNDT Act, to prevent illegal prenatal sex determination and sex-selective practices.

5 districts bucked trend

Palwal, Sonepat, Rewari, Faridabad and Karnal registered improvement in the SRB by 18, 10, nine, four and one points respectively, compared to December 2025, according to the civil registration system (CRS) data (excluding delayed registrations).

The 11 districts with mid-year SRB above 900 mark also recorded significant erosion in their mid- year SRB in comparison to annual SRB of 2025. For example, Panchkula’s SRB crashed by 68 points as it came down from 971 in December 2025 to 903 till June 2026. Other districts that registered this dip include Fatehabad (44 points), Sirsa (33), Kurukshetra 26, Kaithal (21), Nuh (17), and Bhiwani (11).

Of the 11 districts with the SRB below 900 till June 2026, Charkhi Dadri is the worst-performing district with its SRB falling by 84 points from 913 in December 2025 to 829 till June 2026. Panipat’s SRB dropped by 71 points compared to its cumulative SRB in December 2025. It was followed by Yamunanagar (48-point decline), Jhajjar (44), Ambala (42), Jind (40), Mahendergarh (36), Hisar (31), Gurugram (30) and Rohtak (seven) points dip compared to cumulative SRB up to December 2025. The SRB of Yamunanagar district stands at 895 till June, down from 943 in December 2025.