AIR Spotlight: Decline in Female Infant Mortality Rate

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio Newsonair. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation. This article is about the discussion on Decline in Female Infant Mortality Rate.

Participants: 

1. Neera Mishra, Social Activist and Expert on Women’s Issues
2. Urmi Goswami, Journalist

Context: Reduction in the gender gap in Infant Mortality Rate in Sample Registration Survey 2020.

Introduction:

• The data released by the Sample Registration Survey 2020 shows that the gender gap has reduced considerably at an All India level in Infant Mortality rate(IMR). 
• This is positive news as India has had an ignominious reputation for a very long time with regard to the Female IMR. The recent report thus promises a progressive and hopeful journey for India in the future.
• One of the factors that have led to this situation is the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao(BBBP) programme.
• BBBP programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development has taken the issue through an integrated approach. It has focused on the three critical aspects of health, education, and awareness. These efforts have thus paid dividends in the past 8-9 years.
• India is on the pathway where more girl child will celebrate their first birthday.
• In thirteen states IMR among girls is lower in comparison to the boys and in five states it is almost equal.

For more on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, read here: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana – Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao [UPSC Government Schemes]

Associated concerns:

• The gap has reduced but still, a lot of issues exist like the improvement is marginal in urban areas and the rural areas still suffer from poor outcomes.
• India is a large country with a huge population and thus would require a lot of effort in mission mode, especially in the states where the results are more on the negative side.
• There exists a gap in the training of Anganwadi workers.
• Even though, there is a decline in the total IMR of Madhya Pradesh the Female IMR has risen.
• A reverse trend is observed in Kerala and Himachal Pradesh. In Kerala, Male IMR is 3.3 times more than the Female IMR and in Himachal Pradesh, Male IMR is twice the Female IMR. This is a cause for concern.
• Similarly, due to many incentives given for the education of Girl children, it was observed that the percentage of Girls in High schools of Uttar Pradesh outnumbered Boys. This has resulted in inequality. 
• Even after adopting the gender-neutral approach in various children schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Integrated Child Development Scheme, etc the impact on the Female IMR or Under Five Mortality Rate was not reaped. The major factor behind it is the deep-seated social mindset of the general population.

Measures Ahead:

• The attention needs to be shifted beyond the first birthday to the fifth and subsequent birthdays and make them lead a more productive life.
• Policies are already in place, but their effective implementation should be ensured. The gap between the rollout of policy and its implementation needs to be scrutinized.
• A proper committee of experts needs to be created in the Ministry of Women and Child Development that will bridge the skills gap and other implementation gaps. This committee should also act as an advisory board to the Ministry.
• More awareness about gender equality needs to be spread among parents. There should be a proper communication channel and awareness drive for the general public, particularly in rural areas.
• Health services, though improving, further needs to be improved. This would expedite the momentum of better outcomes.
• A focused approach is required for the rural areas and awareness aspects need to be adequately focused in this region.
• Social Media can play a very crucial role and can be positively utilized for dealing with issues of children. 
• A child should be seen as a healthy living contributing factor for Nation building and not just survive for one or five years.
• The holistic approach should be followed beginning with the nutrition of the mother to the nutrition, education, and skill training of the child.
• All the stakeholders including the recipient of the government schemes should participate in the organized and meaningful rollout of the policies.
• A gender-neutral approach should be adopted for the health and welfare of children. However, gender-neutral interventions should be complemented by guarding against social issues.

Conclusion:

• There should be a focused study that should focus on identifying the gaps in existing policies. Moreover, it should be a continuous process with a feedback mechanism to ensure its effective and efficient rollout.
• The road ahead is long and the success in this issue is incremental with no specific destination.
• Much more needs to be done, but the achievement of the milestone in reducing the gender gap in IMR needs to be appreciated.

Read previous AIR Spotlight articles in the link.

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