Why the declining sex ratio in India is a cause for worry

  1. babies born per 1,000 male babies) in India has declined to 896 in 2015-17 from 898 in 2014-16.
  2. Of the top 22 states for which data is available, 14 had a sex ratio better than the all-India average; while in 8 states have sex ratio worse than the national average. Haryana has the lowest sex ratio (833).
  3. The sex ratio in rural India has declined from 902 in 2014-16 to 898 in 2015-17. For urban India, the sex ratio stood at 890 in 2015-17.
  4. 7 states had a poorer rural sex ratio than rural India’s average, while 14 had a lower urban sex ratio than the average for urban India.
  5. The SRS findings has brought focus into the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Launched in 2015, the major objectives of the scheme are: a) preventing gender biased sex selective elimination, b) ensuring survival and protection of the girl child and c) ensuring education and participation of the girl child.