• Four female foeticide victims reported in 2024 against one in 2022
• Centre says PC&PNDT authorities conduct inspections at ultrasound centres
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir recorded four girl-child victims in cases of foeticide in 2024, compared to one in 2022 and none in 2023, while no cases of communication of foetal sex were registered in the Union Territory during 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to data tabled by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures were provided by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel in response to an unstarred question by Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien on female foeticide and illegal sex determination.
According to data sourced from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Jammu and Kashmir reported one girl-child victim under foeticide in 2022, zero in 2023 and four in 2024.
The 2024 figure is the latest available NCRB data cited by the Centre in its reply. While the number remains small in absolute terms, it marks an increase from the previous two years and puts renewed focus on monitoring and enforcement of laws aimed at preventing sex selection and female foeticide.
The parliamentary reply did not provide a district-wise breakup of the four cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.
The data on communication of the sex of a foetus showed that J&K registered zero cases in each of the three years from 2023 to 2025.
The figures are based on quarterly progress reports submitted by State and Union Territory governments and specifically cover cases registered for communication of the sex of a foetus.
Under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, communicating the sex of a foetus is prohibited, with the law aimed at preventing sex selection and associated practices.
Asked whether Health Departments conduct inspection surveys at ultrasound centres to identify violations, the Centre said inspections are undertaken by State and Union Territory governments through the State and District Appropriate Authorities notified under the PC&PNDT Act.
These authorities conduct inspections under Section 17 of the Act and are responsible for monitoring compliance at diagnostic facilities.
The Centre said the national Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) improved from 898 females per 1,000 males in 2014-16 to 918 females per 1,000 males in 2022-24, according to the Sample Registration System.
The government attributed the improvement to strengthened implementation of the PC&PNDT Act and sustained initiatives aimed at awareness and sensitisation.
