SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded four girl-child victims in reported foeticide cases in 2024, up from one in 2022, while no such case was reported in 2023, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures, based on National Crime Records Bureau data, show that 98 girl-child victims were reported under foeticide-related cases across India in 2024, compared with 37 in 2023 and 61 in 2022.
Jammu and Kashmir’s four reported cases in 2024 accounted for a small share of the national total. Ladakh reported no such case during 2022-24.
The data showed that Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest numbers in 2024, with 18 cases each, followed by Maharashtra with 15. Haryana reported eight cases, while Rajasthan and Jharkhand recorded five each.
Separately, State and Union Territory governments reported 83 cases of communication of the sex of a foetus in 2025, compared with 48 in 2024 and 53 in 2023.
Jammu and Kashmir reported no cases of communication of the sex of a foetus in 2023, 2024 or 2025, according to quarterly progress reports submitted by the States and UTs.
Haryana recorded the highest number of such cases in 2025 at 64, followed by Gujarat with five and Jharkhand and Rajasthan with four and three respectively.
The Union Health Ministry said the national sex ratio at birth improved from 898 females per 1,000 males in 2014-16 to 918 in 2022-24, citing the Sample Registration System.
The Government attributed the improvement to measures including strengthened implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, along with sustained awareness and sensitisation initiatives.
Under the PC and PNDT Act, State and UT Governments, through State/UT and District Appropriate Authorities, conduct inspections of ultrasound centres under Section 17 to identify violations and enforce the law.
