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Chandigarh, August 5, 2025 — Haryana has witnessed a positive shift in its gender ratio, which has climbed to 907 girls per 1,000 boys from January 1 to July 31, 2025. This marks an improvement from the corresponding period last year, when the ratio stood at 899. The development was highlighted during a recent weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for Improving Sex Ratio, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Sudhir Rajpal.
The meeting emphasized the intensification of efforts to curb illegal abortions and improve the sex ratio under the state’s ongoing ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. Officials were urged to enforce stringent punitive measures, including revoking the licenses of medical practitioners implicated in female foeticide. The state government has implemented a reverse tracking system for all Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and abortion cases beyond 12 weeks, especially concerning women who already have one or more daughters. In July alone, 32 First Information Reports (FIRs) related to such cases were registered, resulting in 32 arrests, with more cases under investigation and several notices issued to private hospitals and clinics for suspected violations.
In a unique inclusion initiative, the transgender community has been invited to actively participate in celebrating the birth of girls. Members of this community will visit families upon the birth of a girl child, a tradition usually reserved for the birth of boys, and present a certificate signifying an investment of Rs 21,000 under the ‘Aapki Beti Hamari Beti’ scheme. The government plans to incentivize these efforts by providing a minimum amount of Rs 1,100 to participating transgender individuals, ensuring community engagement under the supervision of district Chief Medical Officers (CMOs).
Further, the Additional Chief Secretary announced a crackdown on IVF centers suspected of conducting sex-determination tests and illegal abortions, mandating that all IVF implantations be registered under antenatal care to enhance monitoring.
This progress follows years of fluctuating gender ratios in Haryana, a state historically facing challenges such as a lower number of female births relative to males owing to socio-cultural biases and lax enforcement of laws against sex-selective practices. Previous years saw worrisome dips, including a drop to 910 girls per 1,000 boys in 2024—the lowest in eight years—after improvements post the 2015 launch of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.
Disclaimer: This article is based on official statements and reports available as of August 2025. The information reflects data and initiatives announced by Haryana government officials and may evolve with ongoing government actions and reviews.
