Haryana sex ratio

ONCE notorious for its skewed sex ratio and deep-seated cultural preference for the male child, Haryana has over the years managed a steady improvement in the sex ratio at birth (SRB). But as it has now slipped to a six-year low, triggering alarm bells, reports of misuse of technology for pre-natal sex determination warrant a statewide clampdown. The January-June SRB has come down to 906 female births per 1,000 males from 917 in December last year. Though officials claim a year-long appraisal is a more precise barometer, the 11-point half-yearly dip is a setback to the efforts for curbing female foeticide. It is imperative for the district officers to take proactive measures. A close scrutiny of the factors at work is required.

An inter-state racket busted in Rajasthan two years ago brought to the fore the use of a phone-sized ultrasound machine to conduct illegal sex-determination tests. The same modus operandi is suspected in Haryana. The authenticity of the results of the not-so-costly gadget may be debatable, but not of its wide use. Stringent punitive action for detecting the sex of a foetus and sex-selective abortion has been an effective strategy, but social change requires an attitudinal shift. That remains a challenge. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme is engineered as a collective inter-departmental initiative. A robust response to the latest figures is the way forward.

A 2011 study by a British medical journal found that up to 1.2 crore female foetuses had been aborted in India in the previous three decades. In 2014, the United Nations said the dwindling number of Indian girls had reached ‘emergency proportions’. Tracking tests and pregnancies is vital, but so are campaigns to change the perceptions about girls. For Haryana, it’s time for a renewed pledge in the fight against female foeticide.