Sex ratio improves in Jhajjar

Giving a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign, Haryana's Jhajjar district, which was among the districts having worst child sex ratio in the country during the 2011 census, has witnessed significant improvement in gender ratio.

The district administration on Thursday disclosed that the sex ratio at birth had now increased to 895 girls per 1,000 boys, as compared to 800 past five months ago.

Additional principal secretary (health) Rakesh Gupta, who held a meeting with the district officers from the education and women and child development departments via video-conferencing, appreciated the efforts of the people of Jhajjar in this regard. He said now the government would also work on the same pattern in other districts of the state having skewed sex ratio.

He said that chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar was himself monitoring the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign and all the officers concerned have been told to make surprise visits at hospitals to check female foeticide.

As per available information, the sex ratio at birth had slipped to a low of 769 in the district at one time. Joint teams of the departments concerned have been conducting raids at ultrasound centres in the district for the past five months in the wake of complaints about sex determination tests being carried out therein.

In the 2011 census, it was found that Jhajjar district had child sex ratio (0-6 age group) of 782 girls to 1,000 boys. Two villages of the district -- Bahrana and Dimana -- had recorded extremely low gender ratio of 378 and 444 respectively.