The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s latest data reveals that Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in India has risen from 923 girls per 1,000 boys to 931 girls per 1,000 boys in the four years between the years 2015-16 and 2018-19, reports The Times of India. During a parliament session, ministry of women and child development presented the data in response to a question raised on the government’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, TOI reported.
As always, Kerala is in the lead in the all-India sex ratio at birth (SRB) with 959 girls per 1,000 boys. Chhattisgarh gives company to Kerala at the same position. Then come Mizoram and Goa with 958 and 954 girls per 1000 boys respectively. Punjab and Lakshadweep are at the bottom of the list, with figures of 900 and 891 respectively.
The all-India SRB was 923 in 2015-16, 926 girls in 2016-17 and 929 girls in 2017-18, according to data. Andaman and Nicobar Island registered the highest increase between 2017 and 2018 of 51 points from 897 girls to 948 girls. Next Nagaland and Uttarakhand are two states which saw a major jump in the number of girls from 904 to 932 and 906 to 938 respectively. Haryana is also one state that has reportedly gained in this direction has risen from a dismal 887 to 914. Sikkim and Telangana went up from 928 to 948 and 925 to 943 respectively.
On the other hand about 12 states also saw a decline in the number of girls in comparison to boys. Arunachal Pradesh saw a steep dip from 925 to 943 girls. Arunachal was followed by Jammu & Kashmir (958 girls to 943 girls), Tamil Nadu (from 947 girls to 936 girls) and Maharashtra (from 940 girls to 930). Chhattisgarh, which has the highest sex ratio at birth (SRB) in 2018-19 along with Kerala, actually registered a decline of SRB from 961 in 2017-18. Kerala too has shown a decline this year as compared to 964 in 2017-18.
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Comparing the SRB between 2015-2016 and 2017-2018, 25 states showed an increase and 11 saw a decline. SRB of Sikkim and Arunachal have dipped the most. Among the 25 states, the SRB rose highest between 2015-16 and 2018-19 in states like Lakshadweep (832 to 891—59 points), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (890 to 948 —58 points), Goa (918 to 954 —36 points), Nagaland (904 to 936 —32 points) and Uttarakhand (906 to 938 — 32 points).
The all-India SRB was 923 in 2015-16, 926 girls in 2016-17 and 929 girls in 2017-18, according to data. Andaman and Nicobar Island registered the highest increase between 2017 and 18 of 51 points from 897 girls to 948 girls. Then Nagaland and Uttarakhand are two states which saw a major jump in the number of girls from 904 to 932 and 906 to 938 respectively.
In Haryana, the SRB increased phenomenally from 887 girls per 1,000 boys in 2016 to 914 in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Haryana has been one notorious state for always having one of the lowest SRBs in the country. In 2011, the nationwide census said that India’s sex ratio stood at 919 girls for every 1000 boys however for Haryana it was 834 girls. But the number rose surprisingly, the number of girls in the state were 900 at the end of 2016, this number shot up to 935 in the first quarter of 2017, and by March 2017, this number had touched 950, reported NDTV.
However, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign team did investigative research on this sudden rise in numbers and found that there had been widespread and systematic inflation to achieve these ‘remarkable’ numbers, Outlook reported. In fact, a TOI report claimed that in ten states almost eight are guilty of misrepresenting the numbers to the extent of blatantly overhyping it.
Picture credit- Daily Mail
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