Faridabad (PTI): Apparently abashed by its skewed sex ratio, the Haryana government on Thursday said it will reduce maternal mortality from 162 to less than 100 per lakh births by 2010 as also infant mortality by ensuring "safe delivery practices".

Addressing a two-day meet of South Asian Parliamentarians and United Nations Population Fund officials at Surajkand, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also announced raising cash incentives for mothers from Scheduled Caste and BPL families to Rs 1,500 from the coming fiscal.

He said the government had introduced schemes like Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Janani Sureksha Yojna , Janani Suvidha Yojna, Sakhi and Vikalp to reduce maternal (MMR) and infant (IMR) mortality rates and stressed on clean, safe delivery practices especially in rural areas.

Hooda said the maternal health programme needed broad-basing and health institutions upgraded with additional medical and paramedical staff.

His comments come against the backdrop of the state having the second lowest sex ratio after Punjab despite a low MMR and reports of men in Haryana forced to buy brides from other states.

National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas lauded Haryana for its low MMR but regretted that states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan had a poor record because they "do not know ways to save dying mothers".

She said budgetary support from the Centre for gender issues was not being fully utilised by many state governments.