New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Wednesday raised concern over gender imbalance in India and appealed to the states for a stringent implementation of the law against sex determination.

Speaking at a meeting of health ministers from 18 states, where recent census figures show a declining child sex ratio, Azad said declining sex ratio is a matter of grave concern.

"There is an urgent need to arrest the gender imbalance. Proper implementation of the Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostics Technique (PC and PNDT) Act and deliberation on the steps are required to be taken to address this grave challenge by the states," he said.

According to the census, number of girls in the age group of 0-6 years now stands at a mere 914 for every 1,000 boys.

"The 2011 provisional census figures have served as a wake-up call for all of us. The misuse of medical technology for pre-birth sex selection is evidently increasing," Azad noted.

The minister asked all states to appoint the appropriate authorities and also monitor their functioning as also conduct systematic inspections and overall monitoring of doctors and clinics registered under the act.