Gender bender: Sex ratio below 500 in more than half of Haryana’s village

CHANDIGARH: At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is calling upon states to join the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign in a big way, the situation is more than just grim in Haryana. The sex ratio in more than half of the villages in the state is below 500.
According to the figures available with the state health department, sex ratio in 3,974 villages out of 7,363 in the state below was 500 in 2013.Similarly, more than 5,000 villages in the state have a sex ratio of 868 or less. There are 1,278 villages, which have a sex ratio between 500 and 833. Only 1,154 villages have sex ratio equivalent to 1,000 or higher.
What’s more, there are more than 2,400 villages where no girl child was born in 2013. Sources in the health department say most of these villages — where no girl or boy was born in that year— are small localities.
A senior officer of the health department said that patriarchal mindset and access to latest technology for sex determination are main reasons for the skewed sex ratio in the state. “There is need for change in the mindset to improve the sex ratio and the state government is taking all measures,” said a spokesperson of the department.
Meanwhile, concerned over the skewed sex ratio in the state, Haryana additional chief secretary (health) Ram Niwas has asked its officials to track the villages which have a sex ratio of below 800. The government would review the report of such villages after every three months and would also ensure accountability of health workers posted in these villages.