The decision was necessitated following the latest government data showing gender imbalance in the state: 910 girls per 1,000 boys in 2024.
Chandigarh: The Haryana government’s directive requiring couples with an existing daughter to obtain prior approval from the District Appropriate Authority (DAA) before undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is being viewed as a strong measure to curb the persistent preference for male children and address the state’s declining sex ratio.
The decision, taken during a high-level review meeting of the State Task Force (STF) on sex ratio and reproductive health chaired by Health and Family Welfare Minister Arti Singh Rao, is a part of a series of stringent measures aimed at curbing sex-selective practices and regulating the misuse of advanced reproductive technologies.
The directive is a part of the state’s broader campaign to reinforce the objectives of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme, which was originally launched from Haryana’s Panipat district in 2015.
As per the details provided by the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal, the directions will be applicable for couples who already have one or two daughters and seek to undergo in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
The officials said that the decision was necessitated following the latest government data showing gender imbalance in the state. The latest figures revealed that Haryana recorded a sex ratio at birth of only 910 girls per 1,000 boys in 2024, marking its lowest point in eight years. The number of girls declined from 916 in 2023 and a notable decline from 923 in 2019.
However, the state witnessed an improvement soon after the launch of the BBBP campaign in 2015 when intensive awareness campaigns, legal enforcement, and public engagement had led to a modest improvement in gender parity. But it started declining again in 2019.
There were several pockets across districts like Ambala, Jhajjar, and Sonipat that have reported sex ratios falling below 800. For example, in Gharouli village of Ambala district, the ratio has been recorded as only 695 girls per 1,000 boys.
The health experts are of the view that the new IVF directive focuses specifically on curbing the misuse of Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT)—a technology used during IVF that allows for the selection of embryos based on genetic characteristics, including sex.
The directive stipulates that couples with one or two living daughters must obtain clearance from the DAA established under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act before commencing IVF procedures. However, this measure does not apply to all IVF patients or couples trying to conceive naturally but targets the couple more prone to illegal sex selection.
The launchpad of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cherished BBBP initiative, Haryana was infamous for female foeticide. Despite the successive governments having taken several measures to stop the killing of girl children in the womb, the data from the state health department revealed that since 2014, over 1200 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered under the PCPNDT Act, and nearly 4,000 individuals—including doctors, quacks, and patients—have been arrested.
Moreover, under the special operations conducted between February and March 2025 alone, the Haryana Police registered 14 FIRs against online vendors selling Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits, arresting five individuals and tracing the source of these kits to states like Goa, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
The government’s concern is not limited to illegal abortions and unregulated IVF clinics. It also includes cases where wealthier and educated families have misused technology to ensure male offspring.
Activists and officials have raised serious concerns over reports of fertility clinics offering illegal “package deals” that combine IVF treatment with guaranteed sex selection—an outright violation of the law. These secret operations, they said, are difficult to trace and have surfaced in Haryana, the National Capital Region (NCR), and parts of Rajasthan.
The Haryana State Task Force (STF) on reproductive health also issued fresh orders to Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of all districts to conduct “reverse tracking” of all abortions carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy to identify violations of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act and investigate suspected cases of sex-selective abortion. Over 1700 women across the state have received notices for failing to register their pregnancies within the mandatory 10-week window, a legal requirement designed to ensure timely prenatal care.
The state government has launched a series of socio-economic initiatives aimed at correcting gender imbalance. More than 2.1 lakh girls have been enrolled under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, designed to ensure their financial security.
In addition, the government has adopted digital birth registration systems linked to Aadhaar to track birth trends and flag regions with abnormal sex ratios.
A senior official said that real-time sex ratio monitoring cells have been established in all 22 districts, and special gender-sensitization drives have been launched in 35 villages designated as “gender critical.”
But despite these efforts, the underlying challenge remains societal attitude.
“In many rural and even urban areas of Haryana, daughters are still viewed as financial burdens and sons as carriers of the family name and future support. These cultural biases continue to fuel demand for sex-selective practices, even among the affluent and educated,” said Dr Santosh Dahiya, president of Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Shakti Manch.
However, the critics argue that regulating IVF access based on the sex of living children may violate reproductive rights and force desperate couples to seek unsafe, unregulated services elsewhere. But Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has made it clear that the state has a moral responsibility to protect the unborn girl child and restore balance in society.
