Turnaround: 465 villages have more girls than boys

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, August 12

In a state notorious for its skewed sex ratio, 465 of its 6,800 villages have more girls than boys.

This has been revealed in a recent “seven star rainbow” ratings of villages conducted by the Haryana Government. Sex ratio is one of the criteria for awarding star rating to villages. The other criterions are education, peace and harmony, environment, hygiene and sanitation, good governance and social participation.

The improved sex ratio is being credited to the state government’s flagship “beti bachao, beti padhao” campaign under which the birth rate of girls in the state reached 918 per 1,000 boys recently.

The sex ratio was pegged at 871 in 2014, 876 in 2015, 900 in 2016, and 914 in 2017-18. Notably, Haryana had the dubious distinction of having the lowest sex ratio across the country at 834 in 2011.

Haryana Development and Panchayat Minister Om Prakash Dhankar said the recent survey showed that 3,604 villages fared well on the education parameter (zero dropout rate), 2,312 villages in peace and harmony measure, and just 240 on hygiene and sanitation and 203 on good governance.

Meanwhile, Sudhir Rajpal, Principal Secretary, Development and Panchayat Department, said 20 villages were awarded 6 star rating in the latest rankings by the state government. No village got seven star rating.

The state kicked off the rating system for villages on seven parameters last year. The star rated villages are awarded a slew of incentives, including monetary benefits. There has been a sharp increase in the number of star-rated villages from 1120 (18%) to 3,930 (63%) in the state.

‘Encouraging sign’

To have 465 villages with a favourable sex ratio of over 1000 girls per 100 boys is an encouraging sign and the Haryana Government is committed to improving the sex ratio in other villages also. — OP Dhankar, development & panchayat minister