Lead story: Marginal decline witnessed in sex ratio

Amidst a decline in the male-female sex ratio across various districts of the state in the year 2024, Jalandhar, too, witnessed a general decline in sex ratio.

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In the year 2024-2025, so far, the district’s sex ratio is 932 female births per 1,000 male births, marginally lesser than last year when it was 934 and from 2022-23 when it was 951. Officials say the sex ratio is expected to rise much until the completion of the year.

In the past five years (from 2020 until now), Jalandhar has recorded a total of 1,42,970 live baby births (of which 74,029 were male and 68,941 female). For the same period, the district has witnessed 538 baby deaths (413 still births and 125 due to other causes), 139 maternal deaths and 9,158 miscarriages (or termination of pregnancies).

The decline in sex ratio also coincides with a decline in the number of raids which were carried out at scanning centres in Jalandhar in the past few years.

While two scanning centres each were raided in the year 2020 and 2021, no raids were conducted at any scanning centres of Jalandhar in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. Suprise inspections were also conducted at 51 scanning centres in 2022 in an intensive single day drive. However, there is an ominous lack of major raids since then. Health officials said routine inspections continued as usual. A private firm had been hired to carry out sting operations against scanning centres in 2020 to 2022 at the state level. However, after 2022 no private firm was hired for the same task.

Sex ratio

Jalandhar’s sex ratio of 932, recorded for 2024-25, is marginally lesser than the sex ratio last year (in 2023-24) when it was 934 female births per 1,000 male births. In 22-23 it was 951. In the year 2021-22, Jalandhar’s sex ratio was also 932. The lowest recorded sex ratio in the past five years was in 2020-21 when the district recorded a sex ratio of mere 910 female live births per 1,000 male births.

While the district’s sex ratio is better than the state sex ratio, recorded at 918 in 2024, but Jalandhar lags significantly behind the neighbouring district of Kapurthala, which led in the state with the highest sex ratio of 987 females per 1,000 males in 2024.

District Family Welfare officer Dr Raman Gupta said, “By the year-end, the sex ratio may reach much more, so it is too early to write it off this year. As far as sex ratio of previous years is concerned, Jalandhar is maintaining a decent sex ratio. The cases reflected in Jalandhar also include a significant number of cases from periphery — Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, among other areas.

Male-female births

Of the 1,42,970 live baby births (of which 74,029 were male and 68,941 female) recorded in past five years, among the 125 baby deaths (except still births) recorded in the past five years, 64 were of male children and 61 female.

Maternal deaths

Ironically, a larger number of maternal deaths have been recorded in the urban areas compared to rural areas in Jalandhar. While of the total 139 maternal deaths, 47 were reported im rural areas, 92 were reported in urban areas. Most maternal deaths (in past five years) were reported in 2021-22 - 38 (28 urban and 10 rural). In 2020-21, maternal deaths were 24 (14 rural and 10 urban), in 2022-23 - 27 (nine rural, 18 urban), in 2023-24 - 24 (seven rural, 17 urban) and this year so far, 26 maternal deaths (seven rural and 19 urban) have been reported.

The number of miscarriages have reported a marginal decline though - 1,752 were reported in 2020-21, 1,985 in 2021-22, 2093 in 2022-23, 1,984 in 2023-24 and 1,344 so far in 2024-25.

Scanning centre monitoring

There are a total of 251 scanning centres in Jalandhar. In the past five years, 58 centres applied for new licences and 211 older scanning centres have applied for the renewal of their licenses. While licences of four scanning centres were suspended in 2020 and 2021 (two each year), since then, no licences of scanning centres have been suspended since 2022 till now. Five law suits are also currently on against scanning centres by the Health Department for past discrepancies.

Official Speak

District Family Welfare officer and Nodal Officer PNDT Jalandhar, Dr Raman Kumar Gupta, speaking on more urban maternal deaths than rural, said, “Migratory or slums areas are all in the urban areas, from where a lot of cases are reported on a regular basis. Due to this, there are higher amounts of both deliveries and medical complications reported too from slum or congested areas. The number of miscarriages are currently at the normal rate of within 8 to 10 per cent. Due to anomalies or health conditions, some pregnancies have to be terminated and similarly, miscarriages are also reported.”