States like Haryana are embracing the girl child
While it may be too early to say if Haryana has been successful in effectively reversing its appalling record with regard to women and girls, the recent improvement in the child sex ratio figure is proof that steps are being taken in the right direction — and for this, all stakeholders deserve credit. On January 16, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar announced that his State's sex ratio at birth had crossed the 900-mark for the first time in a decade. In December, Haryana's overall sex ratio at birth was at 903 — meaning, for every 1,000 males born, there were 903 females. The number is still not as good as the national average of 914 girls to every 1,000 boys, and both are a far cry from the globally accepted norm of 952. Nevertheless, it is a sign of progress. The figures are based on Government data compiled over the past several months, and there are some heartwarming results on the table.
For example, Sirsa district's sex ratio at birth has increased from 948 in October 2015 to 978 in November 2015 to 999 in December 2015. Some activists are critical of these figures, arguing that sex ratios should only be compared over a longer period of time. In this regard, it may be worthwhile to take a look at the figures from the National Family Health Survey 2015-2016, released only days after Mr Khattar's announcement. According to the all-India survey carried out by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Haryana's sex ratio at birth is 836 females for every 1,000 males — a significant improvement from the 762 females for every 1,000 males that was recorded in 2005-2006.
It is nobody's case that this development happened overnight. Haryana's sex ratio — for children specifically and the population as a whole — has been a matter of concern for decades, and successive state and many non-state agencies have taken steps over the years to save the girl child, even if with varying degrees of commitment and success. For example, an important measure was the introduction of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, which made it illegal to carry out sex determination tests (which had fuelled a female foeticide epidemic of sorts, especially in the more patriarchal States like Haryana).
The current turnaround can be attributed to better enforcement of such laws prohibiting sex determination tests. In fact, Mr Khattar mentioned how the police had recently cracked down on a big nexus of quacks, health workers, touts and registered medical practitioners in Sirsa, with the help of local health workers. Also, schemes promoting the girl child and incentivising parents to keep and raise their daughters, such as the Modi Government's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, incidentally flagged off in Haryana's Panipat district last year, as well older programmes such as ladli, launched in 2005, and Apni Beti Apna Dhan, launched in 1994, have helped spread awareness and are gradually changing mindsets.