Important Facts For Prelims
Improvement in Sex Ratio at Birth
- 09 Aug 2019
- 1 min read
According to the fourth National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) 2015-16, the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in India has improved from 914 to 919.
- SRB is defined as the number of female births per 1,000 male births.
- Survey held that the highest improvement in SRB was noted in Punjab at 126 points, but its SRB remained at 860 (one of the lowest SRB in the states).
- This success can be attributed to the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme.
- Despite the North-Eastern societies traditionally being matriarchal, the sharpest decline was in Sikkim, where the SRB dropped 175 points to reach 809, the lowest among all states in 2015-16.
- Next, to Sikkim, the five states with the highest declines included four more from the Northeast.