MUMBAI: The state's sex ratio at birth jumped by a significant 12 points to reach 913 in 2017, a healthy increase considering it was on a slippery slope for two years. But the crisis is far from over as, in as many as 10 of the 35 districts, less than 900 girls were born for every 1,000 boys (see box), said activists.
Among the poor scorers were the bordering districts of Kolhapur, Solapur, Nandurbar, Dhule and Beed, which have remained under the cloud of illegal sex determination for years now.
Varsha Deshpande of NGO Lek Ladki Abhiyan said the meek implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and low conviction rate are the main reasons why the state has failed to boost the sex ratio.
A Niti Aayog report had recently listed Maharashtra as one of the 17 states where the sex ratio had dropped from 896 in 2012-14 to 878 in 2013-15. "While the numbers may have increased marginally, we are nowhere close to achieving the ideal ratio of 950," said Deshpande, adding that overturning of several judgments at the higher courts has encouraged those indulging in illegal sex determination. The
Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) too has not held more than a handful of meetings to hear PCPNDT cases, which indicate that fewer complaints are coming in.
Statistics have shown that convictions in PCPNDT cases in Maharashtra have hovered around 15% over the last one-and-half decades. In comparison, the conviction rate for criminal cases is around 50-58%. Data from the state's public health department show that since 2002, nearly 580 cases have been registered under the PCPNDT, but there have been convictions in less than 100 cases.
"It's difficult to prove illegal sex determination. More so because, in most cases, the investigation is carried out by health officials and not police or investigative agencies," said Dr Archana Patil from the
Directorate of Health Services (
DHS), who added that the final statistics for 2017 are still being compiled.
She added that the department has also conducted training of lawyers so that the cases are better represented.
Illustration for representational purpose.