Girls outshine boys in UP Board’s 10th and 12th grade exams
Girls have again outshined boys in the High School and Intermediate Board exams conducted by Uttar Pradesh Board of Secondary Education.
The sex ratio in Delhi declined for the fourth consecutive year this time. In 2024, the gender ratio in Delhi dropped to 920, indicating that for every 1,000 boys, there are 920 girls born. This ratio was 922 in 2023 and 929 in 2022, according to the government report.
Health experts have expressed concerns, fearing that the increase in prenatal gender testing in the capital necessitates action from the authorities.
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The annual report on birth and death registrations by the Delhi government has released data for 2024. A total of 306,459 births were registered in 2024, compared to 315,087 in 2023. The annual report has been published by the Department of Economics and Statistics and the Chief Registrar (Births and Deaths) office.
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The decline in birth registrations has raised alarms among policymakers, prompting calls for enhanced measures to address the underlying issues. This trend may reflect broader societal attitudes towards gender, highlighting the urgent need for public education and awareness initiatives.
Gynecologists and specialists at government hospitals under the Delhi government agree that there remains a significant preference for male offspring among some individuals. They mentioned that they have observed many affluent families travelling abroad for gender testing.
According to statistics from the Delhi government, the child mortality rate in Delhi has decreased compared to 2023. In 2023, the child mortality rate was 23.61 per thousand, whereas in 2024, this rate has slightly decreased to 22.40.
A senior official has claimed that the reduction in child mortality is a result of improvements in public health services in Delhi.
Along with the slight decrease in the child mortality rate, there has also been a minor reduction in the maternal mortality rate. In 2023, the maternal mortality rate was 0.45, which has decreased to 0.44 per thousand in 2024.
In comparison to 2023, the birth rate in Delhi has decreased from 14.66 per thousand to 14.00 in 2024.
According to statistics, the death rate has experienced a slight increase, rising from 6.16 per thousand in 2023 to 6.37 per thousand in 2024. The data reveals that in 2005, there were 822 female births recorded for every 1,000 male births.
However, in 2008, the gender ratio changed, resulting in 1,004 female births for every 1,000 males, which was unprecedented. This change is attributed to the ‘Ladli Scheme’ implemented by the Delhi government, which seeks to enhance the gender ratio at birth.
In 2015, the gender ratio at birth was recorded at 898, which improved to 933 by 2020. Nevertheless, there has been a subsequent decline since then.
In 2021, the ratio was recorded at 932, but it fell to 929 in 2022 and further decreased to 922 in 2023.
According to government data, out of the total births, 294,464 (96.09%) occurred in hospitals, while 11,995 (3.91%) took place at home. Among the 294,464 institutional births, 191,727 (65.11%) were in public hospitals. Of the total births, 11.90% were rural and 88.10% were urban.
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