Bhubaneswar: A legislator from Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised the issue of falling sex ratio in Odisha in the Assembly during the ongoing Winter Session today.

Balikuda-Erasama MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena claimed that the sex ratio at birth in the state has declined to 894 women per 1,000 men. The situation is more alarming in Jagatsinghpur district, where the sex ratio stood at 862, Jena informed the Odisha Assembly.

The BJD legislator blamed illegal sex determination and feticide for sharp decline in the sex ratio in Odisha in recent years.  

As per the Civil Registration System (CRS) report released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the sex ratio at birth in Odisha stood at 933 women per 1,000 men in 2021.

The ratio has significantly come down from 979 in 2011-12. As per the available data, the sex ratio in Odisha had dropped from 979 in 2011 to 930 in 2017 and then rose to 947 in 2019 before falling to 933 in 2021.