New Delhi: India’s sex ratio at birth (SRB) has improved by 20 points over the past decade, rising from 898 females per 1,000 males in 2014 to 2016 to 918 per 1,000 males in 2022 to 2024, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Citing the Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2024, Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), said the national SRB has shown steady improvement over the years.
According to Patnaik, the improvement reflects the continued efforts towards effective implementation of the PC&PNDT (Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, regulatory oversight and community-level interventions
Patnaik was speaking at a national workshop on strengthening the Act’s implementation, held in the capital on 1 October attended by representatives from all 36 States and Union Territories.
She stressed that strict enforcement of the Act must go hand in hand with sustained Information, Education and Communication (IEC) initiatives to reinforce the equal value of the girl child.
States and UTs also deliberated on standardising State-level PC&PNDT portals, with digital modules for regulatory processes, monitoring and compliance.
