Lok Sabha Question No. 2427 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-09
Subject: Decrease in Sex Ratio
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY, CHANDRAKANT BHAURAO KHAIRE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2427 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH MARCH, 2018

## DECREASE IN SEX RATI O

## 2427. SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY: SHRI CHANDRAKANT KHAIRE:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether NITI Aayog released 'Healthy States, Progressive Report' recently and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether as per the report, there has been a decrease in the sex ratio in 18 States of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is aware of the ill effects of decreasing sex ratio; and
- (d) if so, the schemes formulated or proposes to be formulated by the Government to increase the sex ratio and ifso, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a): Yes. 'Healthy States, Progressive India -Report on the ranks of States and UTs' have been released by NITI Aayog to nudge States to bring about the much required improvements in the Health sector with a focus to capture the annual incremental improvements by S The report is available on the official website of NITI Aayog in:

http://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/ document\_publication/Healthy -S ates - Progressive -India - Report\_0.pdf

- (b): As per the above report Sex ratio at Birth (SRB) is s ubstant ally lower in almost all Larger  States - 17  out  of  21  States  have  SRB  of  less  than  950  females  per  1000  males Further, SRB has declined in these States between the base year (2012 - 14) and reference year (2013 - 15),  except  for  Bihar,  Punjab  and  Utta r Pradesh where improvements in SRB were noted, and Jammu & Kashmir where it stagnated. Details are given in Annexure I
- (c) & (d ): Yes, in view of growing misuse of technology for sex selection leading to -birth elimination of females that mainly cont ributes owards the decline of sex ratio at Birth, Government of India is implementing Pre - conc ption and Pre - Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act 1994.

The Pre - conception and Pre - Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act 1994 regulates the  use  of Pre - conception  and  Pre - Natal  Diagnostic  Techniques  which  has  a  potential  of selection/  determination  of  sex  of  the  foetus  and  prohibits  the  use  of  these  di techniques for sex selection

The  Government  of  India  besides  enactment  of  the  Pre - conception  and  Pre - natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, has adopted a multi - pronged strategy entailing schemes and programmes for awareness generation and advocacy measur es to build a positive environment for the girl child through gender sensitive policies, and  legislation.  The  details  of  important  measures  taken  by  Government  of  India  in regard are at Annexure -II

Further, Government of India launched B eti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign (BBBP) in 2015 to address the declining child sex ratio and related issues of women empower over a life cycle continuum. The key element of the scheme includes nation - wide awareness and  advocacy  campaign  and  multi - sector al  action  in  selected  161  districts  at  present.  Th Government of India has decided to expand the BBBP scheme in all 640 districts (as census 2011) in the country through Alert District Media Campaign and extending mul -sectoral interventions in 405 d istricts having low child sex ratio.

## Annexure I

## States wise Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) during Base Year (2012 - 14) and Reference Year (2013 - 15) - Large States .

| Sl. No.   | States           | Base Year (2012 - 14)   | Reference Year (2013 - 15)   |
|-----------|------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|
| ( 1)      | ( 2)             | ( 3)                    | ( 4)                         |
| 1         | Haryana          | 866                     | 831                          |
| 2         | Himachal Pradesh | 938                     | 924                          |
| 3         | Jammu & Kashmir  | 899                     | 899                          |
| 4         | Punjab           | 870                     | 889                          |
| 5         | Rajasthan        | 893                     | 861                          |
| 6         | Uttarakhand      | 871                     | 844                          |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh     | 973                     | 961                          |
| 8         | Madhya Pradesh   | 927                     | 919                          |
| 9         | Uttar Pradesh    | 869                     | 879                          |
| 10        | Bihar            | 907                     | 916                          |
| 11        | Jharkhand        | 910                     | 902                          |
| 12        | Odisha           | 953                     | 950                          |
| 13        | West Bengal      | 952                     | 951                          |
| 14        | Assam            | 918                     | 900                          |
| 15        | Gujarat          | 907                     | 854                          |
| 16        | Maharashtra      | 896                     | 878                          |
| 17        | Andhra Pradesh   | 919                     | 918                          |
| 18        | Karnataka        | 950                     | 939                          |
| 19        | Kerala           | 974                     | 967                          |
| 20        | Tamil Nadu       | 921                     | 911                          |
| 21        | Telangana        | 919                     | 918                          |

- As per Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) December, 2017 submitted by State UTs,  59836  diagnostic  facilities  including  Genetic  Counselling  Centre,  Ge Laboratory,  Genetic  Clinic,  Ultrasound  Clinic  and  Imaging  Centre  have  b registered under the PC& PNDT Act. So far, a total of 2007 machines have been sealed and seized for violations of the law. A total of 3986 ( 2713 pending & 1273 disposed  of) court  cases  have  been  filed  by  the  District  Appropriate  Authori under the Act and 449 convictions have so far been secured.  Following convic the medical licenses of 118 doctors have been suspended/ cancelled.
- Inspections by the National Inspect ion and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) have been scaled up.  During 2015 - 16, 22 NIMC inspections have been undertaken in the States of Punjab, Puducherry, Tripura, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Guja at, Telangana, Chhattisgarh,  Jharkhand,  Assam,  Uttarakhand,  Karnataka,  Tamilnadu,  Madhya Pradesh  and  West  Bengal.  During  2016 - 17,  12  NIMC  inspections  have  been undertaken  in  the  States  of  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Himachal Pradesh,  Rajastha n,  Delhi,  West  Bengal,  Karnataka,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Tamil  Nadu, Bihar, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. During 2017 - 18,  19 NIMC visits has been conducted  in  States  of  Punjab,  Gujarat,  Uttarakhand,  Kerala,  Andhra  Prad Manipur,  Maharashtra,  Jharkhand,  Odisha,  As sam,  Chhattisgarh,  Jammu  & Kashmir,  Sikkim,  Karnataka,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Delhi,  Rajasthan,  Tamil  Nadu  a West Bengal.
- State/  UTs  Inspection  and  Monitoring  Committees  have  been  constituted  in States/ UTs and are conducting regular inspections on the groun d.
- The  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  is  rendering  financial  suppor strengthen  implementation  structures  under  National  Health  Mission  (NHM)  f setting up of dedicated PNDT Cells, capacity building, monitoring, and advo campaigns etc.
- A  National  Capacity  Building  Programme  for  State  Appropriate  Authorities  a State  Nodal  Officers  was  organized  on  9 th and  10 th October,  2017  at  Delhi  in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
- A comprehensive Standard Operating Guidelines ( SOGs) for District Appropriate Authority has been prepared by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for be clarity for implementation of the PC&PNDT Act.
- Program  review  at  the  State/UTs  level  has  been  intensified.  During  2016 - 17,  4 regional  review  worksh ops  were  organized  for  Northern,  Western,  Eastern  and North - Eastern  States  in  Lucknow,  Jaipur,  Thiruvananthapuram  and  Kolkata During 2017 - 18, 2 Regional Review workshops for Eastern region and Southern region have been conducted.
- Directions given by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the matter of WP(C) 349/2006 (Voluntary Health Association of Punjab vs. UOI & others), were communicat ed to the States/ UTs and concerned Ministries/Departments for ensuring compliance.
- The Government has also set up a Nodal Agen cy to regulate and remove the e -advertisements on internet relating to preconception and prenatal determinat sex  or  sex  selection,  prohibited  under  the  PC&PNDT  Act,  1994  as  per  t directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court vide order dated 16.11.2016 in Wr it Petition (Civil) No. 341 of 2008.
- A  two- day  orientation  and  sensitization  of  judiciary  was  organized  by  Nat Judicial  Academy  on  4th  &  5th  February  2017  in  Bhopal.  Further  the  Nation Judicial  Academy  also  conducted  special  PC  &  PNDT  Act  session  in two orientation programmes for High Court Judges in the current financial year -18.
- States have been advised to focus on Districts/Blocks/Villages with low Chil Ratio to ascertain the causes, plan appropriate behaviour change communica cam paigns and effectively implement provisions of the PC & PNDT Act.