Chandigarh, July 22 – Under the directions of Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao, the weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for Improving Sex Ratio in Haryana was held under the chairmanship of Director General Health Services (DGHS), Sh. Manish Bansal here today. The meeting focused on intensifying efforts to curb illegal abortions and further improve the state’s sex ratio under the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign.
The meeting highlighted the recent success of government initiatives. In the preceding week (July 14 to 21, 2025) Haryana’s sex ratio improved to 917, up from 860 in the corresponding week last year. If calculated from January 1 to July 21, the state’s sex ratio registered a 2-point improvement at 904 this year, up from 902 in the corresponding period last year.
The DGHS emphasized the need for stringent enforcement against illegal abortions, instructing officials to take strict punitive measures, including revoking the licences of doctors found complicit. He said the state is implementing reverse tracking of all Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and abortion cases beyond 12 weeks, particularly where women already have one or more daughters. So far, 690 reverse trackings have been completed across Haryana, with the highest number reported from Ambala. This has led to the registration of total 18 FIRs in suspected cases, with 13 more FIRs currently in process. Show-cause notices have been issued to several private hospitals and clinics suspected of malpractice, as well as to Medical Officers, ASHAs, ANMs, and SAHELIS associated with the concerned pregnant women.
DGHS (P) Sh. Kuldeep Singh held detailed discussions with all CMOs and senior health officials, instructing them to ensure that reverse tracking is completed within 24 hours of receiving information regarding abortion cases. He also sought MTP case data for the past three months from all CMOs and emphasized coordination with gynecologists at OPD centres to effectively track abortion cases. He added that police support should be sought in case of any law and order issues during enforcement actions.
The Task Force took strong exception to negligence found in some districts and decided to chargesheet officers who failed to undertake reverse tracking. It mandated that all CMOs and PNDT officials carry out field raids extensively and ensure there is no laxity in implementation. Officials were also instructed to report any Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PIGT) conducted in their districts within five days of receiving such a request, to monitor and prevent any gender-based misuse.
Senior officers from various departments were present at the meeting to review progress and coordinate inter-departmental efforts.
