Haryana’s flagship Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao on track despite pandemic

State registers annual sex ratio at birth of 922 females per 1,000 males in 2020, a tad lower than the all-time high of 923 recorded in 2019.

Haryana registered 922 female births per 1,000 male in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic posing challenges to keep the flagship Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme and the sex ratio at birth (SRB) on track.

More than 31,000 girls have been saved in wombs ever since the campaign to fight female foeticide was launched in 2014. (Representational photo)

In 2019, Haryana’s annual SRB was 923, the highest so far.

While the annual SRB of the state in 2011 was 833, it rose to 876 in 2015, and further improved to 900 in 2016. The annual SRB remained static at 914 in 2017 and 2018, and jumped to 923 in 2019.

A top official said the SRB reaching 922 in a pandemic year was the result of numerous raids that the health department teams conducted to trap touts offering sex selection facilities.

According to the latest data of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme, which chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar himself monitors, the cumulative SRB in 2020 rose to 922 even as the SRB registered a negative trend during the lockdown last year when the SRB had dipped to 914 in July.

SIRSA MAINTAINS LEAD, KARNAL SLIPS

Sirsa district led the state with an SRB of 949, while Karnal slipped to 900.

In 2016 and 2018 also, the SRB of Sirsa district was the best in the state.

The home district of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar slipped to the 20th position even as in 2018 the SRB of Karnal was 934 when it secured the second spot.

In 2020, Panchkula and Nuh were tied at second spot with an SRB of 939, Kurukshetra and Fatehabad both recorded 938, Panipat 935, Sonepat 932, Ambala 931, Yamunanagar 928, Kaithal and Hisar 922, Gurugram and Rewari 921, Bhiwani 920, Faridabad 915, Rohtak 912, Palwal 910, Jind 904, Mahendragarh 902, Karnal 900, Jhajjar 892 and Charkhi Dadri 891.

HEALTH DEPT RAIDS KEPT TOUTS IN CHECK

Top official sources said in spite of the coronavirus pandemic and the mounting pressure on the health staff, the touts didn’t have a free run.

Last year, 100 first information reports (FIRs) were registered under the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) and MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Acts. Of the total 100 raids conducted last year, 40 were inter-state raids of which 22 were conducted in Uttar Pradesh, including 11 in Ghaziabad.

According to experts involved in this campaign, more than 31,000 girls have been saved in the wombs ever since the campaign was launched in 2014.

According to official data, 47 FIRs were registered under the PNDT and MTP Acts between June and October 2020. In the first 10 months of 2020, 65 FIRs were registered against 61 during the corresponding period in 2019.

In October, 11 FIRs were registered, while in September, the number was 17. In August, there were 10 FIRs, six in July and three in June. More than 2,000 accused have been arrested during this period.