Dikhyaa Mohanty 
As per the Economic Survey, the number of females per 1,000 males in the country has risen from 991 in 2015-16 to 1,020 in 2019-21. The sex ratio at birth, i.e., female children per 1,000 male children born in the last five years, has also grown from 919 in 2015-16 to 929 in 2019-21.
According to the reports, to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination and survival and protection of the girl child, the government has made specific interventions through the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (BBBP) scheme. Sex ratio at birth for children born in the last five years has improved in 2019-21 from 2015-16 in all states except for Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Meghalaya, Goa and Nagaland.
Further, the total fertility rate (TFR), which is an average number of children per women, has also come down to 2 in 2019-21 from 2.2 in 2015-16, as per the Survey. The total fertility rate has even come down below the replacement level of fertility (2.1 children per woman) in the country, the Survey said.
In all the states and UTs except for Manipur, Meghalaya, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, the replacement level of fertility has been achieved. Increasing the use of contraceptives, especially the modern methods, better family planning, and girl education have possibly contributed to the decline in the fertility rate.
