Pune: Sex Ratio Falls to 911 Girls per 1,000 Boys, Activists Raise Alarm
Pune: Sex Ratio Falls to 911 Girls per 1,000 Boys, Activists Raise Alarm
Pune, September 25, 2025: Pune has witnessed a troubling decline in the ratio of girls to boys among newborns, according to data from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health department. The city’s sex ratio dropped from 946 girls per 1,000 boys in 2020 to 911 in 2024.
A similar decline was observed in the 2014–2019 period, when the ratio fell from 940 to 921.
Health and women’s rights activists have expressed serious concern over the trend. Activist Vivek Velankar, in a letter to the civic commissioner, described the situation as a wake-up call. “A healthy sex ratio is considered to be at least 950 girls per 1,000 boys, which Pune nearly achieved in 2020. The consistent drop over the past decade, particularly in the last four years, is alarming,” the letter stated.
The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act prohibits prenatal sex determination in India. PMC’s deputy health officer Dr. Kalpana Baliwant, responsible for enforcing the Act locally, said the civic body monitors registered sonography centers and takes action if forms are not filed correctly or if unauthorized personnel operate the machines.
However, activists point out that enforcement alone is insufficient. Women’s rights advocate Dr. Kiran Moghe, a member of PMC’s PCPNDT Act Advisory Committee, said, “The law often fails as violators escape on technical grounds. Sex selection cannot occur without doctors’ complicity. Medical associations must introspect and regulate their members, while the PMC should initiate dialogue with them.”
