Congress Member of Parliament Deepender Singh Hooda has launched a sharp critique against the central and Haryana state governments, accusing them of being "in denial" over a worrying decline in the state's sex ratio. Citing official data, Hooda stated that the ratio, which had shown improvement until 2019, has taken a negative turn in recent years.
Official Data Shows a Disturbing Downturn
During an interview, Hooda presented a detailed timeline of the sex ratio figures. From 2011 to 2019, Haryana witnessed an encouraging climb from 875 girls per 1000 boys to 926. This period of progress coincided with the early years of the central government's flagship 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Panipat in 2015.
However, the trend reversed post-2020. The latest data, reported by the Haryana government itself, places the sex ratio at 906 for the current year. This decline formed the core of Hooda's confrontation in the Lok Sabha with Union Health Minister JP Nadda.
A Direct Contradiction in Parliament
Hooda directly contradicted Health Minister Nadda's statement in the House that the sex ratio was improving in Haryana. The Congress MP asserted that the minister was "factually wrong," emphasizing that the troubling numbers are publicly available on the state health ministry's website and have been reported by the Government of India.
"The government is in denial," Hooda stated, suggesting that Nadda's optimistic assessment was merely an attempt to praise the BJP-led state government rather than confront an uncomfortable reality.
New-Age Threats to the Girl Child
Moving beyond traditional causes like illegal prenatal sex determination tests (banned in 1994), Hooda highlighted three modern trends driving the current decline.
First, he pointed to the unchecked over-the-counter sale of medical abortion kits. Second, he flagged the misuse of rapidly proliferating IVF centers for sex selection. Third, he raised concerns about licensed abortion centres, noting that 300 out of 1,500 in Haryana were recently shut down following the data release, hinting at a larger "scam" involving local administration.
He also mentioned the misuse of advanced prenatal genetic tests to determine a baby's sex before birth. Hooda called for a collective and urgent government response to these evolving challenges, stressing that old solutions are insufficient for new problems.
Linking the issue to broader parliamentary dysfunction, Hooda also criticized the government's "ego" for causing delays in the Winter Session, questioning why consensus on debates couldn't be reached sooner. His comments paint a picture of a critical social issue compounded by political reluctance to acknowledge it.
