Haryana’s sex ratio unchanged, but nine of 22 districts see dip

GURGAON: Nine of Haryana’s 22 districts recorded a drop in sex ratio at birth (SRB) — meaning fewer girls were born per 1,000 boys — in 2023. Though the state’s overall SRB remained consistent at 916 (the national SRB is 933), northern and central districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Jind and Charkhi Dadri all saw the number of girls born fall.

Gurgaon, on the other hand, recorded a rise — from 925 in 2022 to 928 in 2023.
The gap between boys and girls in Haryana had been a cause for concern since 2011, when the Census showed that the state’s sex ratio at birth of 834 was the lowest in the country. This led to the state launching a stringent crackdown against female foeticide. In 2015, it launched ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ with the Centre’s support to bring about social change.
The campaign has shown results. From 876 that year, the state’s sex ratio at birth climbed to 900 in 2016, followed by 914 the next year. It remained the same in 2018 but improved to 923 in 2019. After that, it saw a dip again — from 922 in 2020 to 914 in 2021. At 916, the SRB showed a slight improvement in 2022 and continued to stay in the same mark last year as well.
Meanwhile, Gurgaon’s 2023 SRB is the highest it has achieved till now. The health department said it has been carrying out awareness drives regularly, especially in rural areas.
“We have identified five villages where the SRB is below 900 — Jharsa, Pataudi, Abhaypur, Raipur and Mohammadpur. We will be working in a more focused manner in these villages in the coming months to improve the sex ratio. We have also been conducting regular raids on clinics illegally carrying out sex determination tests. Last year, a total of 17 cases were filed under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act. Our teams have searched such clinics in Delhi, Rajasthan and even Uttar Pradesh. Doctors and health officials are spreading awareness among people too,” chief medical officer Virender Yadav said.
According to government data, around 2,387 raids were conducted on clinics carrying out sex determination tests in the last five years across the state. Of these, 487 raids were in other states. A total of 1,376 FIRs were also registered for sex determination and use of medical termination of pregnancy kits across Haryana.
Health officials said the department held a meeting of nodal officers from all districts last month and sought updates on the SRB.
“A downward trend has been observed in a few districts, which is a cause for concern. We will conduct a detailed survey in the coming months to understand why the SRB in some areas is still below 900,” a senior official said.
Experts said further strengthening the teams working at the ground level is important to improve the sex ratio. “The government needs to further strengthen the PCPNDT Act and should take strong legal action against illegal abortions. Awareness drives are crucial. Conducting such programmes and monitoring the progress made at regular intervals is key,” said DV Sahran, former director (health services), Haryana.