Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 10: "Issuance of mother cards to pregnant women is mandatory. With this, we can considerably reduce cases of sex determination tests and aborting of the foetuses," said deputy commissioner of the district, Dr Rajendra K V. He was speaking after presiding over a district-level meeting of competent authority relating to the prohibition of pre-pregnancy and pre-birth sex determination test act implementation. This meeting was held at the office of the deputy commissioner here on Tuesday, March 9.

He said that finding the sex of the foetus prior to the pregnancy and birth are illegal and those who violate will risk undergoing jail term and imposition of a fine. He noted that between April 2020 and January 2021, 1,463 boy babies and 10,993 female babies were born in the district. He called for ending the imbalance in the female and female sex ratio in the district. He warned that scanning centres that are functioning without sanction will be acted against.

Rajendra said that if hospitals are found to be conducting sex determination tests, the scanning machines would be sealed and cases will be filed against the hospitals concerned. He asked the departments to form special teams for conducting surprise visits to scanning centres and evince special interest in finding out whether any illegal tests are being conducted there.

District health and family welfare officer, Dr Ramachandra Bairy, said that there are 174 registered scanning centres in Dakshina Kannada district, of which 159 are functioning as of now. He said that 15 centres are not undertaking to scan for various reasons. He said that the district checking and supervisory committee undertook visits to 148 centres while taluk health officers visited 87. He said that a few defects were found in the implementation of the PC and PNDT Act and the concerned have been instructed to address the defects.