On Monday, Delhi’s women and child welfare minister Kiran Walia said, “Pregnant women from neighbouring states, which lack good medical infrastructure, prefer to give birth in Delhi. When these babies die during or after delivery, the numbers are reflected in the capital’s statistics.” She said this to explain the slide in Delhi’s sex ratio – from 868 in 2001 to 866 in 2011 census.

A few more facts will explain the situation better. The national average (of sex ratio) is far healthier – 927 in 2001 and 914 in 2011. Even the neighbouring states have fared much better than Delhi – Uttar Pradesh (from 916 in 2001 to 899 in 2011) and Rajasthan (from 909 in 2001 to 883 in 2011). Only Haryana fares worse (from 830 in 2001 to 819 in 2011).

Given these facts, do you think Walia is right in her diagnosis? Or is she just trying to mislead people in order to cover up her own failures?