At 896, Delhi sex ratio alarmingly low

New Delhi, Aug 27: The national capital continues to languish among the worst in terms of sex ratio in the country with 896 females to 1,000 males as per the Delhi government's annual birth and death registration report, a negligible improvement from last year's 895.

Both 2011 census, which says the capital has 866 females per 1,000 males, and countrywide data of Civil Registration System, place Delhi among the worst performing states and Union territories in terms of sex ratio.

Although Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia pointed out that the number of female births has "increased" and is "improving every year", his claim falls flat in the face of the report which shows a steady fall in sex ratio since 2009.

The sex ratio figures for the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, are 915, 901, 893, 886. In 2013, the figure had slightly improved to 895. In fact, the situation did not change much through the first decade of the millennium as well.

In 2008, the figure had risen astronomically to a high of 1004, on the back of probable high rate of girl child birth registration, including that of old births, owing to government's Ladli scheme, which assured a monetary grant for every such registration.

The sex ratio average for the whole country according to the 2011 census was 940:1000, significantly higher than that of Delhi. The report is prepared on the basis of data collected monthly from 50 major hospitals which accounts for around 51 per cent of total registered births.

Officials say this helps to review the sex ratio at the highest level in the shortest possible time without waiting for yearly indicators.

PTI