The city government partially blamed inadequate health infrastructure in neighbouring states for the decline in child sex ratio — number of girls against per thousand boys — in Delhi.
Delhi women and child welfare minister Kiran Walia on Monday said that lack of proper medical infrastructure in neighbouring states forces pregnant women there to come to Delhi for delivery and when a baby dies during or after delivery, it reflects in Delhi statistics.
As per census 2011 data, Delhi’s sex ratio of children up to six years of age has dropped to 866 girls per 1,000 boys from 868 girls in 2001. The child sex ratio of Delhi is much below the national average of 914, which also declined from 927 in 2001.
“In most of our hospitals, you will find 30 to 35 per cent patients from outside Delhi. When women from neighbouring areas come to Delhi hospitals and if a baby dies during or after delivery then it reflects in our statistics,” she said.
PM Manmohan Singh had written a letter to Sheila Dikshit in September expressing concern over the city’s child sex ratio.
Asked whether government has any figures to support the claim, she said it was a fact that “huge number of women come from neighbouring states for deliveries. The skewed sex ratio is a matter of concern for all of us. An adverse sex ratio can be a cause for serious socio economic problems. We are bringing out various schemes to improve the sex ratio,” Ms Walia said.