Haryana: Karnal District To Focus On Improving Unbalanced Sex Ratio In Its Villages

Karnal district in Haryana has recently seen a decline of nine points in the overall sex ratio. Haryana once had the lowest sex ratio in the country due to female foeticide. To improve the same, a task group has been directed by the Karnal district administration to concentrate on the villages with skewed sex ratios and improve the numbers.

Anish Yadav, the deputy commissioner for Karnal, gave the instructions during the meeting held earlier last week. He instructed the concerned officials to compile a list of the villages with the worst sex ratio and asked the task force to visit these villages to ascertain the causes, as reported by Hindustan Times

The decision comes after data showed that the district of Karnal's overall sex ratio at birth (SRB) decreased to 903 in 2022, down from 912 in 2021, a nine-point decrease. The district has documented the birth of 896 girls compared to 1,000 boys up till November 2022.

Strict Vigil On Pregnant Women & Private Hospitals

The primary health centres (PHC) at Kachhwa, Khukhni, and Jalmana villages, which had recorded the lowest sex ratio, have been given the chief medical officer's attention. Even the field crew has been told to keep a list of pregnant women in these areas and to monitor them regularly.

According to the deputy commissioner, these officials will face harsh punishment for any carelessness on their part. The DC had already expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the personnel assigned to stop female foeticide during a meeting held in December.

According to the officials who attended the meeting, instructions were given to the lower-level officials to closely monitor pregnant women who already have a girl child to prevent female foeticide and to perform random inspections of private hospitals, particularly those where more cases of abortion are becoming public. The woman in question should also be questioned to determine the cause of the miscarriage, the officials said.

Furthermore, he instructed the district program officer of the department of women's and children's development to inform all Anganwadi workers and supervisors to register expectant mothers in their respective districts and stay in touch with them at all times.

Dr Yogesh Sharma, a civil surgeon from Karnal, stated during the meeting that instructions have been given to the field workers for compliance and that efforts are being made to eradicate female foeticide. Even the field staff, such as the auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs), multipurpose health workers (MPHWs), and ASHA workers, have been urged to keep an eye on the records of the villages with the lowest sex ratios and to guarantee that all expectant mothers are registered.

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