Haryana Appoints Women Sarpanches as Ambassadors to Boost Girl Child Campaign

Concerned about the declining sex ratio in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has taken a major step to address the issue by appointing all women sarpanches (village heads) as ambassadors for their villages under the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign. This campaign, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat of Haryana in 2015, aims to protect and empower the girl child. Announcing the decision during a review meeting of the Women and Child Development Department, Saini emphasized the importance of involving women leaders to bring about change. “Our efforts to improve the sex ratio are being recognized nationwide,” he said.

Saini expressed concern about the misuse of handheld machines for illegal sex determination and directed officials to create a strategy to track and penalize offenders. Haryana has taken strict action against female foeticide under the PCPNDT Act, registering 1,220 FIRs between 2015 and 2024. In addition, 386 FIRs were filed during inter-state raids, leading to 4,000 arrests of doctors, quacks, and touts. To raise awareness, the Chief Minister called for organizing street plays (nukkad nataks) and other programs in villages. These events will highlight the importance of saving the girl child, with speeches by elder women from the community.

Despite efforts, Haryana’s sex ratio at birth (SRB) has dropped to 910 girls per 1,000 boys in 2024, the lowest since 2016. Five districts reported a sex ratio below 900, with Charkhi Dadri at 869, the worst in the state. Faridabad and Gurugram both recorded an SRB of 899, followed by Rewari (873) and Rohtak (888). Some districts, however, showed improvement. Yamunanagar reported the highest SRB at 939, followed by Sirsa (936) and Fatehabad (925). Yamunanagar and Karnal saw an 18-point increase, while Sirsa and Bhiwani improved by 11 and 12 points, respectively.

The Chief Minister revealed plans to upgrade 10,000 Anganwadi Centres into Saksham Anganwadi Centres within five years. The state has already received ₹563 lakh from the central government to upgrade 563 centres, with proposals submitted to improve another 2,307.