Aayog, Parliament throw up different data on sex ratio at birth

Ahmedabad: Data tabled in the ongoing session of Parliament depicts a healthy increase in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in Gujarat over the past four years. However, there appears to be a huge difference in SRB figures provided by the government in Parliament earlier this month and those of the Niti Aayog. Sex Ratio at Birth is expressed as the number of girls per 1,000 boys.
According to the Union ministry of women and child development, the SRB in Gujarat for the period 2015-16 was 907, and Niti Aayog figures show an SRB of 848 for the period 2014-16.Sociologists are of the opinion that an increase of SRB by over 50 points in a single year is rather improbable.
There is a nominal annual increase in sex ratio at birth figures for consecutive years after 2015-16, suggesting the figures are more accurate. The SRB in Gujarat rose by three points to 910 in 2016-17, was stable at 910 in 2017-18 and rose by eight points to 918 in 2018-19. The only difference of over 50 points between SRB figures of the Niti Aayog and the ones presented in Parliament, are for the period between 2014-16.
“Such a huge increase from 848 to 907 is simply not possible. The child sex ratio is already quite low in Gujarat. Niti Aayog figures of sex ratio in Gujarat suggest that we have one of the lowest sex ratio in the country,” says sociologist Gaurang Jani. He added that Gujarat does not figure among the top five states of the country.
He added that even in states like Kerala, where the sex ratio is over 1,000 females for every 1,000 males, the sex ratio at birth is less than 1,000.
“When Gujarat has a sex ratio of 919, the sex ratio at birth in Gujarat ought to be much lower than that figure,” he said.
According to data tabled in the Lok Sabha last week, Gujarat is among the 25 states which have registered an increase in the sex ratio at birth (SRB). However, the state still lags behind in the all India SRB of 929 in 2017-18. In all, 11 states show a decline in the SRB. The figures were provided by the ministry of women and child development in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.