Need To Ponder Why Some States Have Low MMR Compared To Others: NHRC Chief

NHRC chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra has flagged the issue of imbalance in sex ratio in the country and also asked to ponder as to why some states have low maternal mortality rate (MMR) compared to others.

He said this while chairing a meeting on 'Women’s health, survival and nutritional status in India: Challenges and Way Forward’ hosted by the National Human Rights Commission on September 5, officials said on Tuesday. Chairing it, justice Mishra said there are enabling laws and policy frameworks towards ensuring better healthcare for women as well as their empowerment.

However, these require to be implemented in the right earnest. The imbalance in the sex ratio between male and female child remains a "point of concern", he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the NHRC. 

He said it is perhaps due to the mindset, which is causing this "disparity between the male and female child despite that the girls legally have an equal share in the inheritance of parental property". "Society as a whole needs to ponder over it," the NHRC chief said.

Justice Mishra also said that the MMR has comparatively declined in the country, but it continues to remain high. He emphasised that it is to be "pondered as to why some states have low MMR compared to others".

The NHRC chairperson said "the intra-state differences in MMR reflect the existing inequality in access to factors that determined women's health, including healthcare services".

Earlier, NHRC Secretary General, D K Singh said the aim of the meeting is to have inputs from different stakeholders including the Union ministries, which have been working for women empowerment, as part of the Centre's policies, and find out the gaps in the policies and their implementation, the statement said.  

(With PTI inputs)