Modern technologies including IVF procedures, the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT), and compact diagnostic equipment, which facilitate sex selection under the pretext of family balancing continue to pose challenge in ensuring a gender balance in the country said Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, during the 29th meeting of the Central Supervisory Board (CSB) held recently.
He said that these technologies, despite their positive medical applications, could be misused and exacerbate gender imbalances. The Ministry has also called upon the medical community to play a vital role in addressing the declining child sex ratio and sex ratio at birth by identifying black sheep within their profession.
The primary concern discussed at the meeting was the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in the country, indicative of the ongoing battle against sex-based discrimination leading to sex selection/ determination followed by pre-birth elimination.
The Health Ministry in a release issued on Friday noted that the Minister citing the latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) report of 2020 said that the country has made significant progress in the SRB.
“The data revealed a commendable three-point improvement from 904 in 2017-19 to 907 in 2018-20. Importantly, 12 out of 22 surveyed states have demonstrated improvement, underlining the combined efforts of the states in implementing the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PC&PNDT Act) and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao [save the daughter, educate the daughter] scheme”, the Minister noted.
Further, he informed that the latest SRS report indicated that the Gender Gap has witnessed a two-point decrease in 2020 compared to a five-point gap in 2015. He added that ten states have effectively reversed the gender gap, positively impacting female survival rates.
