2 days ago
All abortions in last 6 months under govt lens as Gurgaon bottom of SRB table
Gurgaon: Haryana govt has directed authorities in four districts with the state's lowest sex-ratio at birth (SRB) – Gurgaon, Palwal, Karnal and Charkhi Dadri – to scrutinise all abortion cases in the past six months to check for any signs of illegal practices.
Haryana govt's latest data for Jan-June 2025 ranked Gurgaon at the bottom of the list, with SRB at 855. SRB in Charkhi Dadri was logged at 859, Palwal 874 and Karnal 906.
Sex-ratio at birth (SRB) is the count of girls born for every 1,000 boys.
Additional chief secretary (health and family welfare) Sudhir Rajpal on Tuesday directed these districts to review all medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) cases, and investigate further if there is any suspicion of pre-natal sex determination.
Civil surgeons have been asked to oversee the probe.
Rajpal sought reports on abortion cases from senior medical officers (SMOs) deployed at community health centres across Haryana.
Disciplinary action was initiated against the SMO of Uttawar in Palwal for dereliction of duty after the state task force identified several lapses in protocol at the facility.
Tuesday's orders are the latest in a series of measures announced amidst growing concern over declining SRB in Haryana.
In 2024, thirteen out of the state's 22 districts reported a drop in the number of girls born per 1,000 boys, bringing the state's overall SRB down to 910 — the lowest since 2016.
Govt has warned doctors that any involvement in pre-natal sex determination or illegal abortions will prompt authorities to cancel their medical licences. Similarly, health department officials have been tasked to identify quacks who pose as doctors and facilitate abortions.
Rajpal also directed the deputy commissioners of the four districts to crackdown on illegal abortion centres and halt any unauthorised sale of abortion kits. Chief medical officers and senior health officials will be held accountable if these districts don't improve their SRB, Rajpal said.
Govt has told community health workers – in an initiative called 'SAHELI' – to counsel pregnant women against any reluctance to have a girl child.
Community health staffers will also be held responsible if illegal abortions are carried out under their watch, the ACS said at the meeting on Tuesday.
Districts have been told to take police help for raids at suspected abortion centres. And the ACS on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to DSPs of the four districts for negligence in duty.
"Officials have been instructed to track repeat offenders and monitor their activities closely.
Additionally, all IVF centres in the state will undergo data revalidation and operational audits to detect and prevent illegal sex selection practices," said Rajpal.
According to govt data, recent measures have shown some improvement. Haryana's SRB improved to 943 in the first week of June, from 910 last year. The number of MTP kit wholesalers in Haryana has also dropped to 3, from 32, in the past six weeks.
