The first ever annual health survey (AHS) released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 3 rates Uttarakhand as the safest state in India for child to be born in, given its relatively low infant mortality rate. The survey helps to compare health indicators of select states over two years; the baseline survey was conducted in 2010-11. Within Uttarakhand, three districts—Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag and Almora—are safest for new borns as they have the lowest infant mortality rate (IMR), neo-natal mortality rate (NNMR) and under-5 mortality (U5MR) rate. Uttarakhand as a whole has the lowest maternal mortality ratio (MMR), too, at 162 per 100,000 live births. It also happens to have the lowest sex ratio at birth (SRB) with only 866 girls being born for every 1,000 boys.

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