Over 8,000 more births recorded, female ratio dipped further in 2022 in Nagpur

NAGPUR: In a possible jolt to sex determination measures, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has recorded nearly 800 fewer number of live female births in 2022 though there was an overall increase of 8,603 newborns.
As per data from the NMC’s birth and death department, the city recorded 51,882 total births between January and December 2022, up from 43,279 and 44,978 in the last two respective years.

Even before the Covid pandemic and lockdown, the NMC department had recorded 9,000 fewer births in 2020. The number of total new live births kept declining since 2018 before rising in 2022. The declining trend was attributed to better family planning awareness and campaigns by the government while strict implementation of the anti-sex determination law (PCPNDT Act) was said to be the reason for the increasing female birth rate.
Last year, the sex ratio at birth (SRB) had improved with an increase of 80 female births for a total of 43,279. This has now decreased to around 800 fewer female births for a total of 51,882. In other words, the city’s population saw an increase of just 924 females for every 1,000 males.
In 2022, the NMC recorded 26,974 female births against 24,908 males with the sex ratio at 92.34%. The SRB dropped from 938 females per 1,000 males to 923 the previous year.
The difference of 15 points indicates a decrease of 800 females for a total of 51,882 births recorded in 2022. The estimate is calculated by multiplying the 15 points and the subsequent tally by 10. Hence, it comes to 150 girls less in the 10,000 total births, and 1,500 less in one lakh. For around 51,882 births, it is likely to be around 800.
Before the pandemic year, the city’s birth rate grew at an average of 54,000 per year since 2016 as per the NMC data. Dr Seema Lad, reproductive child health (RCH) and PCPNDT Act incharge at NMC, said the civic body has been strictly implementing the law and would continue to do so.
“We need to study the reason behind such a big difference between male and female births this time. As far as our department is concerned, we have been regularly checking sonography centres but nothing wrong has been found,” she said.
Dr Vaidehi Marathe, former president, Nagpur Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society (NOGS), said she was surprised to see both increase in the overall births and fall in the female birth rate.
“There has been no increase in the number of deliveries as compared to the last fewer years. Also, I haven’t received any sex determination demand in the last one year from anyone. So, the data is a bit perplexing,” she said. NMC officials said the department has not ruled out inaccuracies in the data which is now being studied.