After showing steady improvement, sex ratio begins to worsen again in Haryana

The state, notorious for its skewed gender ratio in the past, showed significant improvement since 2015.

The Haryana government’s flagship programme to stop female foeticide has suffered a major blow with the January to June cumulative sex-ratio at birth (SRB) sliding to 906 female births per 1,000 males, the lowest since 2016, when it was 891 (in the same period) — raising the spectre of rampant sex determination tests (these are illegal in India) in the state.

According to the civil registration system data up to June 2023, of 22 districts, the SRB of eight districts, including seven districts of the National Capital Region (NCR) were below 900. (Representational Image) (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

According to government data, the SRB of 906 recorded till June compares with 916 in the same period last year. The state, notorious for its skewed gender ratio in the past, showed significant improvement since 2015. Its SRB went from 876 in 2015 to 900 in 2016 to 914 in 2017 and 2018 to 923 in 2019 to 922 in 2020 to 914 in 2021 to 917 in 2022 . Much of the improvement was on account of one scheme. On January 22, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” programme from Panipat to arrest the declining sex ratio.

Experts associated with the programme admit to lapses in administrative monitoring. They said in the absence of monitoring and accountability the practice of sex selection before birth has become prevalent despite raids being conducted within and outside Haryana to bust sex determination rackets involving touts targeting pregnant women from Haryana. Earlier this year, HT reported the busting of a sex-determination centre in Madhya Pradesh, which primarily serviced women from Haryana.

Dr Govind Gupta, director health services, pre-natal diagnostic techniques (PNDT), Haryana said he could not comment on the data as he was travelling.

“In 2023 we may not even reach the SRB figure of last year as the mid-year SRB is very low,” said an expert, who is involved in this programme from the beginning.

But experts also agree that there could be an explanation for at least some of the dip.

“There are genuine problems also related to delay and mismatch in birth data compilation in some districts,” added the expert quoted above. But he added that there needs to be better monitoring lest “we fritter away all the gains of last seven years hard work”.

According to the civil registration system data up to June 2023, of 22 districts, the SRB of eight districts, including seven districts of the National Capital Region (NCR) were below 900.

The data indicate that January to June SRB of 10 districts (Jind, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Rewari, Ambala, Jhajjar, Panchkula, Faridabad, Mahendergarh) improved in comparison to same months last year. And, the SRB of 12 districts (Sirsa, Fatehabad, Nuh, Palwal, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Sonepat, Gurugram, Rohtak, Karnal, Charkhi Dadri) went down drastically in comparison to corresponding months last year.

Experts say that there were enough warnings; indications emerged in 2021 when the ratio dipped to 914 female births per 100 male ones, a fall from 922 the previous year. And the annual SRB of five Haryana districts in 2022 fell below 900 females per 1,000 males for the first time in six years.

According to Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer (CMO) Gurugram, where the half yearly SRB has registered a 62-point fall in comparison to same period last year (880 against 942 last year till June), delayed registration of births could be one of the reasons.

“We are looking into the causes behind this dip and analysing the total registration of births. There has been a drastic change (in registration of births) in last two months when the SRB slipped below 900. We are evaluating it,” Dr Yadav said.

He added that his department was conducting inspections and raids to check sex-determination tests.

In Bhiwani too, SRB till June came down to 897 from 938 recorded during the same period last year.

A state government official, who asked not to be named said Bhiwani was a curious case where the SRB in the first five months was much lower and that it shot up in June. “How is this possible? It is intriguing... What explains this unusual rise in SRB data of Bhiwani. In five months Bhiwani’s average SRB was 880 and in June it went up.”

Dr Raghuvir Shandilya, CMO Bhiwani, said: “Undoubtedly, there is a fall in the SRB (of Bhiwani). We have been conducting raids successfully and chasing those involved in gender determination tests. We are dealing with this matter.”

The dip in the sex ratio shows that despite government and civil society efforts, the pervasive anti-woman social attitudes continue to persists at the grassroots and hurt schemes and programmes to stop infanticide. The authorities will have to redouble efforts to counteract this.