In a concerted push to improve the state’s sex ratio and crack down on illegal abortion practices, the Haryana government convened a weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for Improving Sex Ratio on July 8.
The meeting, held under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Sudhir Rajpal, was conducted on the directions of Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao. The meeting focused on intensifying efforts to curb illegal abortions and further enhance the state’s sex ratio under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative.
The meeting highlighted encouraging progress: Haryana’s sex ratio has improved to 904 girls per 1,000 boys as of July 7 this year, up from 903 during the same period last year. Rajpal emphasised the urgent need for strict enforcement against illegal abortion practices. He directed officials to take strong punitive actions, including revoking the licenses of doctors found complicit.
Notably, two nursing homes were sealed in Nuh district for engaging in illegal abortion activities. Additionally, all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have been instructed to act against BAMS doctors and unqualified practitioners (quacks) involved in such practices and to submit weekly action reports.
Officials reported that sustained field-level efforts have resulted in a noticeable rise in birth registrations in June compared to May. To bolster the campaign further, the Additional Chief Secretary directed senior officers to work in collaboration with ASHA and Anganwadi workers to identify and register unregistered children, especially in slums and economically weaker areas of Palwal, Nuh, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
In a parallel move, the ACS instructed CMOs to initiate “reverse tracking” of abortions carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, to identify the medical professionals involved and take strict action where violations are found. A comprehensive protocol for this reverse-tracking process has already been circulated to all CMOs.
To regulate In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) practices, the task force resolved that couples with one or two living female children must obtain prior approval from the District Appropriate Authority before proceeding with IVF treatment for another child.
The meeting was also informed that intensified action against unauthorised Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) centres has led to the closure of around 500 such centres across the state. This has also contributed to a sharp decline in legal MTP procedures over the past two months.
The Department of Women and Child Development shared that awareness campaigns under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme are actively being conducted in public parks, and partnerships with telecom providers are being utilised to disseminate messages via mobile alerts.