Gender ratio shows marginal improvement in Karnal

Karnal, December 11

It seems that the efforts being made by the Health Department to bring down female foeticide are not enough as the district continues to struggle to improve the sex ratio. It has not witnessed much improvement in it in comparison to last year.

Campaigns planned

We have identified villages where sex ratio at birth is low. An intensive campaign will be launched in these villages. Our teams are focusing on compliance of provisions of the PCPNDT Act. Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner

Efforts to check sex determination

We have been making efforts to check sex determination and raids are being conducted even in other districts. Dr Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon

The statistics of 11 months (January to November) this year compiled by the Health Department, on the basis of the Civil Registration System (CRS), reported the ratio as 894 against 891 in the corresponding duration last year. The overall sex ratio of the district was 903 in 2021.

In 2015, the Union Government had launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign under which people were sensitised against committing female foeticide and incentivised for educating a girl child. After this scheme, Karnal began witnessing a gradual improvement, but in the past couple of years, it has recorded a fall in the sex ratio.

Karnal had a sex ratio below 900 till 2015. It was 834 in 2010, 849 in 2011, 847 in 2012, 880 in 2013, 886 in 2014, 897 in 2015, 909 in 2016, and 922 in 2017, the data said.

The district has shown its best with 934 females to 1,000 males in 2018, but recorded a steep fall by 26 points as the sex ratio was 908 in 2019 and later 910 in 2020.

Dr Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon, said they had been making efforts to check sex determination and raids were being conducted even in other districts and states. “In the current year, we got seven FIRs registered — six under PCPNDT Act and one under MTP Act. Two successful inter-state, three inter-district, and two intra-district raids were conducted to check the illegal practice of sex determination. We have sealed 14 machines in the past 11 months,” said the Civil Surgeon.

He said sex determination was done in Shamli where they had conducted two raids in the current year.

“We are also trying to locate illegal abortion centres,” he added.

Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, said they were going to launch a campaign in villages also. “We have identified villages where sex ratio at birth (SRB) is low. An intensive campaign will be launched in these villages. Our teams are focusing on compliance of provisions of the PCPNDT Act and will take appropriate action against the offenders,” the DC said.