Pune Sees Decrease in Birth Rate of Girls, Raising Alarms About Gender Disparity
Pune, 18th October 2024: Last year, the birth rate of girls in Pune city and district decreased significantly, with only 897 girls born for every 1,000 boys. This statistic has been revealed in data from the Public Health Department.
The ‘sex ratio’ is calculated based on the number of girls born in a year compared to boys. In Pune in 2023, the ratio was 897 girls for every 1,000 boys in urban areas and 901 in rural areas. These statistics indicate that the birth of a girl child is still not widely welcomed.
Reports suggest that female fetuses are being deliberately aborted after the gender is revealed. There have been numerous cases of induced abortions. Six months ago, a case of female genital mutilation was discovered in a van in Malegaon, Baramati, where the accused had previously been arrested two to three times for similar crimes.
In an effort to address this issue, the state government is providing a subsidy of ₹1,500 per month to support women. However, there remains significant apathy at both the government and societal levels regarding the declining birth rate of girls.
Dr. Radhakishan Pawar, Deputy Director of Health for the Pune Circle, stated that the Health Department is conducting inspections of centers to promote the birth rate of girls. This year, actions were taken against individuals performing illegal fetal sex determination in Baramati and Narayangaon, and efforts are being made to raise awareness among citizens. “If there is a pregnancy diagnosis, the information should be reported to the health system or through the portal ‘Aamchi Mulagi,'” he urged citizens.
