2 health officers suspended in Haryana over decline in sex-ratio in their districts

Chandigarh, Nov 18 (PTI) Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Sudhir Rajpal has ordered the suspension of two health officers in connection with decline in the sex-ratio figures in their districts.

According to an official statement here on Tuesday, taking a serious view of falling numbers, Rajpal ordered the suspension of the Medical Officer of Primary Health Centre (PHC) Jattanwali in Sirsa and the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of Halalpur in Sonipat for negligence resulting in a decline in sex-ratio figures.

Rajpal chaired a meeting of the State Task Force on improving the sex ratio, where several important decisions were taken to strengthen surveillance, curb gender-determination practices, and crack down on illegal abortions.

Meanwhile, Rajpal has directed district administrations and health officers across the state to work in close coordination and make concerted efforts so that sex ratio reaches 920 this year.

During a video conference with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of the six low-performing districts, Rajpal directed them to take proactive steps to improve the sex ratio.

He also directed the DCs of these districts -- Sirsa, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Charkhi Dadri, Nuh and Jhajjar -- to carry out reverse tracking of illegal abortion cases and intensify monitoring.

Rajpal further directed officers to ensure mandatory registration of all newborns, especially in urban slum clusters in coordination with municipal bodies.

Before the meeting with the DCs, Rajpal chaired a meeting of the State Task Force.

Rajpal also directed the development of an MIS (management information system) portal for tracking all Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT)-related court cases.

He said the Home Secretary of Haryana will be requested through a letter to allow PNDT cases to be taken up in POCSO courts for faster disposal.

Considering the low conviction rate in PNDT cases, the department has also decided to explore the possibility of appointing or attaching a set of specialised lawyers at the state headquarters to pursue cases more effectively.

Meanwhile, on November 4, while presiding over a meeting of the Special Task Force, Rajpal had directed officers of the STF to make reverse tracking in abortion cases more effective so that strict action can be taken against those involved in illegal abortions.

In that meeting, he was informed by the officials that there had been some improvement in the sex ratio from 905 to 913 as of October 31, 2025, compared to the previous year. PTI SUN NB NB NB