Haryana’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao on track despite Covid
State has managed to meet 2020 sex ratio targets, reveals data
CHANDIGARH: Haryana has registered 922 female births per 1,000 males in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic posing challenges to keep the flagship Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme and the sex ratio at birth (SRB) on track.
The SRB, which is a critical indicator of gender equality, was 923 in 2019, the highest Haryana has recorded at least in a decade.
From 833 in 2011, the annual SRB of the state improved to 876 in 2015. It rose to 900 in 2016. And after remaining static at 914 in 2017 and 2018, it jumped to 923 in 2019.
As per the data released by the state government on Tuesday, 9,177 more female and 10,094 male births were registered in 2020 in comparison to 2019. A total of 5,37,996 births were registered in 2020, which included 2,79,869 males and 2,58,127 females.
Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who himself monitors the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme, said Haryana registering 922 SRB was an outstanding achievement in view of the limitations Covid-19 had posed. Congratulating all those involved in this campaign, Khattar set the 935+ SRB target during 2021.
According to Rakesh Gupta, IAS, and nodal officer of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, SRB reaching 922 in a pandemic year was a testament of dedication with which the teams had been chasing the touts offering sex selection facilities and running this programme with missionary zeal.
The cumulative SRB of 2020 has risen to 922 even after registering a negative trend during the lockdown and dropping to 914 in July.
Sirsa maintains lead, Karnal slips
Sirsa district led the state with an SRB of 949, while Karnal slipped to 900. In 2019, Sirsa’s SRB was 920 and that of Karnal was 908.
While in 2016 and 2018 too, the SRB of Sirsa was the best in the state, the home district of chief minister Khattar slipped to the 20th position in 2020 even as in 2018, the SRB of Karnal was 934 when it secured the second spot.
In 2020, Panchkula and Nuh were tied at second spot with an SRB of 939, Kurukshetra and Fatehabad both recorded 938, Panipat 935, Sonepat 932, Ambala 931, Yamunanagar 928, Kaithal and Hisar 922, Gurugram and Rewari 921, Bhiwani 920, Faridabad 915, Rohtak 912, Palwal 910, Jind 904, Mahendergarh 902, Karnal 900, Jhajjar 892 and Charkhi Dadri 891.
At least 10 districts — Sirsa, Nuh, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Sonepat, Kaithal, Gurugram, Rewari, Bhiwani, and Rohtak — improved their SRB in comparison to 2019.
The figure of remaining districts came down, including that of Ambala which dipped to 931 from 959 in 2019.
As per the data, except Jhajjar and Charkhi Dadri, 20 districts are now having 900 or 900+ as their SRB.
Health dept raids kept touts in check
Official sources said in spite of the pandemic and the mounting pressure on the health staff, touts didn’t have a free run.
Last year, 100 FIRs were registered under the PNDT and MTP Acts. Of the total 100 raids in 2019, 40 were interstate, including 22 in Uttar Pradesh. Eleven of them were conducted in Ghaziabad.
According to official data, 47 FIRs were registered between June and October 2020. In the first 10 months of 2020, 65 FIRs were registered against 61 during the corresponding period in 2019. In October, 11 FIRs were registered, while in September, the number was 17. In August, there were 10 FIRs, six in July and three in June. More than 2,000 accused have been arrested during this period.
According to experts involved in this campaign, more than 31,000 girls have been saved from foeticide ever since the campaign was launched in 2014.
Gupta said the objective of the state government is to ensure a visible decline in the incidence of female foeticide which will result in enhancing the sex ratio of the state.
Apart from awareness programmes, several sting operations and surprise inspections were held in Haryana and its neighbouring states.
In the last six years, more than 840 FIRs have been registered, including 225 in UP, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, and around 3,000 people arrested.
“The state government had started an informer incentive scheme wherein reward of Rs 1 lakh was given for providing information about incidents of gender tests in any part of Haryana, which helped in exposing the gangs involved in this crime,” Gupta said.