Haryana gender ratio dips to 914, Bhiwani at bottom
Ravinder Saini
Rohtak, April 26
The state has suffered a setback by registering a seven-point decline in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in the first quarter of the year as compared to the corresponding period last year. As per the civil registration system, the SRB was 921 till March 2022, which dropped to 914 till March 31 this year. Jind topped the tally with the SRB of 996 followed by Kurukshetra (963), Sirsa (943) and Fatehabad (940), while Bhiwani is at the bottom with 860 followed by Mahendragarh (873) and Charkhi Dadri (879). In 12 districts, the SRB is below the state average of 914 in the first quarter of the year. These are Kaithal (913), Hisar (907), Rewari (907), Faridabad (907), Panchukla (903), Gurugram (902), Karnal (902), Rohtak (898) and Sonepat (885), besides Bhiwani, Mahendragarh and Charkhi Dadri.
7-point decline
- Sex ratio at birth (SRB) till March this year dips to 914 from 921 last year
- Jind on top of the table with SRB of 996, Bhiwani at bottom with 860
“A total 1,36,620 children were born in the state from January 1 to March 31 this year — 71,363 male and 65,257 female. Similarly, 4,773 births were registered in Jind during this period — 2,391 male and 2,382 female. Bhiwani recorded the birth of 4,741 children — 2,549 male and 2,192 female,” said sources.
Dr Paleram Kataria, Deputy Civil Surgeon (PNDT), Jind, said they had been making people aware of the ill-effects of gender imbalance, besides motivating them not to indulge in female foeticide.
“A total 40 raids have been conducted under the PC-PNDT Act during the past three years,” he said.
Dr Raghuvir Shandilya, Civil Surgeon, Bhiwani, said a tendency of gender bias among orthodox people might be one of the reasons behind the sharp decline in the SRB in Bhiwani district in the first quarter of the year.
“The possibility of their involvement in pre-natal sex determination tests cannot be ruled out; we have identified 22 such villages in Bhiwani district where the SRB has been found less than 700. An awareness campaign will be carried out there to educate people against female foeticide,” he said.
“Several local factors impact monthly/quarterly SRB; it’s normally not significant and conclusive. It indicates an emerging trend. SRB data computed on a yearly basis is considered a true reflection of the situation,” said Amit Kumar Agrawal, Additional Principal Secretary to the CM, Haryana. Agrawal said the CM was personally monitoring the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” programme.
He said PNDT teams were working across the state and 25 FIRs under the PC-PNDT Act had been registered during the first three months of the year.
