MUMBAI: Even as the state’s sex ratio stands at 913 girls to 1,000 boys, as many as 16 districts have recorded a ratio below 900:1,000 according to data tabled in the state assembly by the public health department on Wednesday. However, while 12 districts have reported a sex ratio of between 900 and 1,000 girls per 1,000 boys, eight districts have recorded a heartening figure of over 1,000 girls per 1,000 boys.
The state government declared that the sex ratio at birth had shown a steady improvement in recent years, increasing from 876 girls per 1,000 boys during 2018-2020 to 894 in 2021-2022. The ratio further rose to 907 in 2023 and 912 in 2024, public health minister Prakash Abitkar informed the House.
MLAs from the opposition had raised the issue through a Calling Attention Motion, expressing concern over the declining birth rate of girls in Maharashtra, particularly in rural areas. Legislators Jitendra Awhad, Hemant Ogale, Namita Mundada, Jyoti Gaikwad and Nitin Raut said that in some districts the sex ratio at birth had dropped to between 870 and 894. They demanded strict measures against doctors allegedly involved in illegal prenatal sex determination, including invoking the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. They also sought the cancellation of registration of doctors found guilty in such cases.
Ogale claimed that in 11 villages in Shrirampur in Ahilyanagar district, the sex ratio was below 800, with 212 boys and only 117 girls born in a year. Raut cited United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) figures, stating that 43,953 girls were “missing at birth” in Maharashtra between 2001 and 2012, and sought a clarification from the government.
Responding to the debate, Abitkar said that the government was strictly implementing the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and had conducted 75 sting operations in 2023-24 and (add-94in)2024-25, and 90 more till January in the current financial year. “Altogether 627 cases are pending before courts and 129 convictions have been secured. We have also increased the reward for informants and decoys to ₹1 lakh,” he said.
The public health minister questioned the authenticity of the UNFPA data but said that the government was considering amendments to the PCPNDT Act and related laws to ensure stricter enforcement. He added that 193 proposals recommending cancellation of doctors’ registrations had been sent to the Indian Medical Council.
While acknowledging that some rural areas continued to report poor ratios, Abitkar noted that districts such as Latur (1,265), Wardha (1,173), Gadchiroli (1,092) and Osmanabad and Gondia (1,050 each) had recorded encouraging figures. He said the government would seek legal opinion for stronger action against offenders.
Awhad also demanded menstrual leave for women employees. Replying to this, Abitkar said that in line with a Supreme Court ruling, the state would constitute a committee to examine the issue.