Why in news?
A report has been released by the Niti Aayog named Healthy States, Progressive India.
What are the findings?
- Sex ratio at birth (SRB) refers to number of female births per 1000 male births.
- It reflects the extent to which there is reduction in number of girl children born by sex-selective abortions
- SRB saw a decline in 17 out of 21 large states of the country.
- Gujarat records an alarming dip of 53 points i.e 854 females from 907 females per 1,000 males born.
- Gujarat is followed by Haryana, which registered a drop of 35 points, Rajasthan (32 points), Uttarakhand (27 points), Maharashtra (18 points), Himachal Pradesh (14 points), Chhattisgarh (drop of 12 points), and Karnataka (11 points).
- The improvement in SRB was witnessed in Punjab, which registered a rise of 19 points, followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 points) and Bihar (9 points).
- The report also stated that there is a clear need for states to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and take measures to promote the value of the girl child.
Source: The Hindu
