Sex ratio at birth: Himachal ranks No 2 in region

January 31, 2023

The northern states and UTs recorded low sex ratio at birth (SRB) during 2021-22.
As per a Health Management Information System (HMIS) report released by the government recently, only Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in the region have recorded a higher SRB than the national average. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi have registered lower SRB than the national average.
Even Himachal, J&K and Ladakh are not much above the national average of 934. While Ladakh recorded the highest SRB of 943 in the region, Himachal and J&K followed at the second and third place with 941 and 940, respectively.
Meanwhile, Punjab (928), Delhi (924), Haryana (920) and Chandigarh (892) are among the 11 states and UTs having lower SRB than the national average. Chandigarh, in fact, is placed just above the last-placed Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Chandigarh, in fact, witnessed a huge drop in SRB during 2021-22 as compared to the previous year. In 2020-21, the SRB in Chandigarh was 941, which dropped by 49 points to 892 in 2021-22. The other northern state and UT in the region to register a drop in SRB are Ladakh and Haryana. While Ladakh’s SRB dropped from 973 to 943, it dipped to 920 from 927 in case of Haryana.
The situation calls for stricter implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.
- The Act prohibits prenatal sex determination to promote gender equality.