New data shows fall in sex ratios in 19 states and UTs as well as a troubling spread of gender bias to more regions
On June 8 2025, a newborn girl’s body was found in a garbage heap in Kolkata’s Behala area. TOI reported that police had registered a case of unnatural death and begun their investigations. But this isn’t a case that demands great sleuthing. The gender of the baby alone suggests that it’s yet another chapter in a tragic and nauseating tale.
Over two decades have passed since India banned sex determination and selection through the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PC-PNDT) in 1994. Since then, govts have rolled out incentive schemes and advocacy programs to tackle the sex ratio issue. Yet, progress in improving the country’s skewed child sex ratio has been mixed at best.