Portal glitch may have skewed sex ratio data: Health officials

Under scrutiny for the lowest sex ratio in Haryana in the past eight years, the Health Department officials have attributed the decline partly to a glitch in the Civil Registration System (CRS) in 2024. The CRS, a Government of India portal for birth registrations, reportedly faced major issues in June and July 2024, affecting data accuracy in districts such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar and Rohtak.

Reviewing the reasons

The department is verifying the data sourced from the Civil Registration System. The portal faced challenges during its revamp by the Government of India in 2024. We are reviewing the reasons for the decline but remain focused on stringent enforcement. — Arti Singh Rao, Health Minister

According to a senior Health Department official, a significant portion of birth registration data from these two months remains untraceable. “Getting birth certificates for these months has been a Herculean task for many. The glitches in recording and recovering data have impacted the calculation of the sex ratio in major districts,” the official said, adding that the system has since been streamlined.

While Gurugram Chief Medical Officer Dr Virender Yadav declined to comment, sources confirmed that the Health Department is reverifying CRS data against the reported sex ratio figures.

Health Minister Arti Singh Rao acknowledged the CRS-related issues, stating, “The department is verifying the data sourced from the Civil Registration System. The portal faced challenges during its revamp by the Government of India in 2024. We are reviewing the reasons for the decline but remain focused on stringent enforcement.”

The minister emphasised steps being taken to curb female feticide and improve the sex ratio. She said ultrasound centres across the state are being closely monitored, registrations of defaulting centres are being suspended and doctors involved could face removal from the state medical council’s rolls.

Civil surgeons have been directed to strictly monitor ultrasound centres, track all pregnancies through mandatory registration and break illegal nexuses. A Rs 1 lakh reward is also given to informers who report violations.

Haryana recorded a sex ratio of 910 girls per 1,000 boys in 2024, the lowest since 2016 (900). In comparison, the sex ratio was 916 in 2023 and 876 in 2015. Provisional data shows that 516,402 children were born in the state in 2024 — 270,354 boys (52.35%) and 246,048 girls (47.64%). This means there were 24,306 fewer girls than boys.

The Health Department is working to ensure that such discrepancies are addressed, while efforts to improve the sex ratio continue through enforcement and awareness programmes.