Gender ratio at birth up by four points in Rajasthan

The child sex ratio at birth has gone up by four points in Rajasthan in 2018-19. It was recorded at 948 girls for 1,000 boys, according to government data.

In 2017-18, it was 944 girls for 1,000 boys.

According to the data of the Pregnancy and Child Tracking System (PCTS) of the state Health Department, an improvement is being witnessed in the child sex ratio for the past some years.

In 2015-16, there were only 929 girls for 1,000 boys in the state, which rose to 938 in 2016-17, 944 in 2017-18 and now 948 in 2018-19.

As per the 2011 Census, the sex ratio at birth in the state was 888 girls per 1,000 boys.

Banswara outperformed other districts with 1,003 girls per 1,000 boys in 2018-19. In 2015-16, the sex ratio at birth in the district was 841, 964 in 2016-17 and 954 in 2017-18, state Health and Medical Education Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said.

He said the sex ratio at birth in Churu stood at 986 girls for 1,000 boys followed Barmer (982), Hanumangarh (977) and Jalore (974).

The minister said the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT), 1994, was being strictly followed in the state, adding that since 2009, 152 decoy operations, including 11 this year, had been carried out in a crackdown on sonography centres.

In 2019 so far, 978 sonography centres had been inspected, he said.

Every year, about 17 lakh deliveries take place in the state, of which 14.50 lakh institutional deliveries are tracked under the PCTS.