The island citys child sex ratio fell from 922 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2001 to 874 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.In contrast,the child sex ratio in the suburbs slipped from 923 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2001 to 910 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.The drop in the number of girls in the city is almost four times that in the suburbs.
Child sex ratio enumerates the number of girl children born for every 1,000 male children.While more male births are natural,the ratio has been getting increasingly skewed in the last three decades because of the advent of sex determination tests such as ultrasound scans and blood-based genetic tests.Maharashtras child sex ratio in 2011 was 883 girls to 1000 boys as against 913 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001.The national average stands at 914 this year.
These alarming statistics were discussed at a meeting of the state health department on Tuesday,where public health minister Suresh Shetty expressed his concern about the dropping sex ratio in the urban areas.While a conservative mindset can explain the declining sex ratio in rural areas,the urban statistics are disturbing,and we need to study the reasons carefully, he said.
He also announced an awareness plan to correct this discrimination against the girl child.P Arokiasamy of the International Institute of Population Sciences,Deonar,blamed falling fertility rates (the number of children born per woman) and the fact that the economically better sections had better access to testing centres.