Haryana's additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Sudhir Rajpal on Tuesday said that the sex ratio in the State has improved to 906 till June 23 this year, up from 902 in the corresponding period last year. Presiding over a meeting, Rajpal directed the concerned officers to lay emphasis on intensifying efforts to curb illegal abortions and further improve the state's sex ratio under the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign.
During the meeting, he mandated intensified enforcement against illegal abortions, with a clear directive for officials to pursue strict punitive action, including cancellation of license, for any doctors found complicit. He directed officials to intensify raids at ultrasound and MTP centres and also increase registration drives, particularly in Charkhi Dadri district, where targeted interventions are required. The task force decided to charge-sheet former CMO of Charkhi Dadri, Dr. Rajvinder Malik, for persistent non-performance in duties related to sex ratio monitoring.
Further, the functioning of SAHELIs associated with pregnant women—especially those where incidents of abortions have been reported—will be closely monitored to ensure accountability. Rajpal ordered strict surveillance of Community Health Centres (CHCs) and instructed that accountability be fixed on Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) in areas where illegal abortions are being reported. In a specific case, he directed the officiating SMO of CHC-Gopi, Bhiwani, Dr. M Nehra, to be chargesheeted due to low sex ratio in his area.
To tackle cross-border illegal abortion activities, the health officials were directed to coordinate with their counterparts in neighbouring districts and organize joint meetings to strengthen enforcement and intelligence-sharing mechanisms.
Rajpal directed that any woman arriving at a hospital with bleeding symptoms must undergo reverse tracking and be tested to determine whether she has consumed Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) pills. If any violation of the law is detected, appropriate legal action must be taken without delay.