CHANDIGARH, July 29 — In a significant administrative shake-up aimed at tackling Haryana’s skewed sex ratio, the State Task Force (STF) on Tuesday withdrew the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act powers from Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of five underperforming districts. The move follows directions from Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao to intensify efforts under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.
The decision was taken during the STF’s weekly review meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal. The five districts — Ambala, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal, and Sirsa — were identified for consistently poor performance and a declining sex ratio compared to last year.
“These districts have failed to show improvement despite repeated interventions,” Rajpal said. “All PNDT powers of their CMOs have been revoked and reassigned to neighbouring district officers, who will take immediate charge and initiate corrective action.”
The state’s overall sex ratio has shown modest gains, improving to 905 girls per 1,000 boys from January 1 to July 28, up from 899 in the same period last year. Officials credited consistent field operations, including decoy raids and inspections, for the gains in 15 districts.
However, Rajpal stressed the need for intensified enforcement against illegal abortions and sex determination. “Hospitals and clinics found conducting unlawful abortions or misusing Dilation and Curettage (D&C) procedures will be de-listed from Ayushman Bharat and barred from other government schemes,” he said.
The task force also announced that nodal officers for the PNDT Act in the five poorly performing districts would be charge-sheeted and replaced. Special state-level squads comprising senior officials, including members of the Haryana Civil Services (HCS), will be deployed to monitor enforcement.
Rajpal said the state is using reverse tracking to scrutinise Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and abortion cases beyond 12 weeks, particularly involving women with one or more daughters. Ten FIRs were registered last week based on such monitoring.
To encourage public participation, the state has introduced a ₹1 lakh cash reward for anyone who provides credible information on illegal sex determination or abortion practices. “This is a community issue, and we need society’s cooperation to end it,” Rajpal added.
Top-performing districts will be recognised and rewarded in the coming weeks for their proactive role in improving the sex ratio, officials confirmed.
The meeting was attended by Rippudaman Singh Dhillon, Secretary of the Health Department and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, along with other senior officers from various departments.
