M A I N   N E W S

A shame: Rewari has nation’s lowest gender ratio
Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service

Rewari, June 4
Tall claims made by health authorities to improve gender ratio in the district have proved hollow as the birth registration records show the most dismal gender ratio of 674 females per 1,000 males in Rewari district, which is the lowest sex ratio in the country.

The astonishing results have set the alarm bells ringing for the district authorities which have formed a new task force to work tirelessly on improving gender ratio by ensuring efficient execution of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PNDT Act) across the district.

As per official records, the birth registration figures collected by the health department reveal that the sex ratio for the under-six age group in 2011 was 797 which went down, though marginally, to 796 in 2012. But the significant decline in gender ratio this year has taken everyone by surprise.

Sources said birth of 448 male and 348 female children has been recorded during the first three months (from January to March 2014) of this year which is much lesser than the figures of previous years.

“Interestingly, the lowest gender ratio has been found in those villages where health authorities have persistently been running awareness programmes. But despite all this, the decline in sex ratio is unexpected,” said a health department official on the condition of anonymity.

He informed that record of child sex ratio was compiled on the basis of birth registration figures sent by general hospitals (GHs), public health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs) and private hospitals to the health authorities.