Beti Bachao Campaign Stalls: Haryana's Sex Ratio at Birth Dips Below 900

Official state health data for the first four months of 2026 reveals that Haryana's Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) has dipped below the critical mark of 900 girls per 1,000 boys. This sudden downturn has sparked widespread concern among social activists and administrative officials, raising fears that the state's landmark gender reform efforts are losing their initial momentum. The current numbers mark a significant regression from previous achievements, threatening to undo a decade of hard-fought progress in balancing the state's highly skewed gender demographics.

The "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child) campaign was aggressively launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat, Haryana, in 2015. Under strict administrative vigilance—which included frequent raids on illegal pre-natal sex determination clinics, inter-state crackdowns, and fixed bureaucratic accountability—Haryana's SRB successfully climbed from a dismal 838 in 2010 to a peak of 923 by 2019. However, experts note that a subsequent drop in monthly reviews, reduced administrative surveillance, and a dilution of focus have allowed illegal gender-determination practices to quietly resurface.

Social welfare advocates are calling for immediate corrective interventions, emphasizing that structural social change requires sustained administrative pressure and continuous public awareness drives. Health department officials in Haryana are reportedly planning to revive stringent monitoring mechanisms under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act to penalize offending clinics and doctors. Reinvigorating grassroots networks and local community monitoring will be essential to restore the campaign's focus and ensure the protection of the girl child.