Get the girl numbers back in Haryana

When it comes to sex ratio at birth (SRB), Haryana has had rollercoaster figures. From an adverse 834 female births for 1,000 male births in the 2011 census (national number was then 918), the state had become somewhat of a turnaround story. Haryana's SRB had improved steadily, reaching 923 in 2019. But that upward curve took a downward trajectory - dropping to 910 in 2024, the state's lowest since 2016, thanks to 481 villages in 13 of Haryana's 22 districts registering SRBs lower than 700.

Haryana has a long history of adverse SRB - 867 in 1901, increasing to 871 in 2014. Much of this dismal state of affairs is rooted in culturally-entrenched misogyny that normalised female foeticide. So, it was apt that in 2015, GoI launched the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign in Panipat. The scheme included incentives such as one-time payment of ₹21,000 at the birth of a girl, and opening bank accounts for girls through the 'Sukanya Samriddhi' scheme. Efforts to reduce the drop-out rate among girls and increasing their enrolment at secondary and tertiary levels were taken up seriously. The strict enforcement between 2014 and 2019 of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994, banning pre-birth sex determination, did much to stem Haryana's anti-girl attitudes.

But flagging enforcement has hurt efforts. Enforcement and intensive awareness efforts need to pick up again. Challenges of driving societal changes must be met head-on again. Laws provide an enforceable framework; enforcement and compliance give a push. Incentives can nudge compliance. But a shift in attitude is possible only through sustained engagement, and involving all stakeholders in an all-of-society approach that was, indeed, evident in the recent past.