The traditional bias against the girl child seems to have not undergone any change in Haryana.The Centre’s ambitious ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (BBBP) programme aimed at addressing the gender imbalance and discrimination against the girl child, has so far failed to stem the tide in Haryana.According to the officials in Haryana Health Department, the offences under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act and Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) are still high in the State.“More than 52 FIRs under PNDT Act and MTP Act are registered since May 27 this year in Haryana. A large number of people have been arrested and over 100 raids have been conducted since May 27 by various teams across the State to put an end to female foeticide,” said a senior official of Haryana Health Department while requesting anonymity.
The concerned authorities intensified its efforts under BBBP campaign following the review meeting held in May last week, in which the deputy commissioners were directed to regularly monitor the ultrasound centres and curb the sale of MTP kits.Talking to The Pioneer, the senior official informed that there is still high prevalence of female foeticide across the State. The department is conducting raids regularly to keep a check on the social evil, albeit, the task has become challenging with portable mini-ultrasound machines easily available in the market.Though no concrete figure is available on the exact number of female foeticide cases in Haryana, the officials of Health Department estimate that more than 30,000 girls are being killed every year in the State before they are born.
Expressing apprehensions over the increasing misuse of portable ultrasound machines across the state, the official said that during last fortnight only, the special teams of the Department have seized such machines from Mahendragarh and Hisar districts in the state.While carrying out special drives in the state against the nefarious crime of female foeticide, the state authorities have seized more than 50 such machines in the past one year, according to the information. The portable ultrasound machines, which are being illegally used for sex determination tests, have been seized in Bahadurgarh, Gurgaon, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Ambala among other districts during this period. Some of these machines manufactured by Chinese firms resembles a smartphone and can be easily put inside trouser’s pocket.
As per the data with state authorities, around 1600 ultrasound centres are running across Haryana. Even as sex determination is an offence, many diagnostic centres in the state are still carrying out this procedure.launching a major drive against female foeticide across Haryana, the State Government has constituted special teams and has been taking assistance of decoy customers to nab the violators.Under the checking drive, assistance from women constables, nurses and female patients is being sought and they are sent as decoy customers at various clinics to verify if any illegal practices are going on at the health institutions, added the official.Haryana, where the child sex ratio (CSR) has been dismally low was chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch the nationwide BBBP earlier this year, which is implemented in 12 districts of the state.
Haryana has the lowest child sex ratio of 834 compared to the national average of 919 (according to census of India 2011). However, the latest data with the Health Department claimed that the child sex ratio (0-6 years) has reached to 875 per 1000.Notably, to check the female foeticide, Haryana Government had announced to give Rs one lakh cash award to the informers providing vital information about anyone involved in this heinous practice.The official of the Health Department said that information is pouring in from various parts of the state regarding the illegal practice. The information is mostly with concerned district commissioners and we are yet to compile it.He added that the Health Department expects positive results in Haryana under BBBP campaign by the end of this year.
The State Government is also considering framing a law under which registration of pregnancy would be made compulsory within first three months of pregnancy. legal opinion is being sought to take action accordingly if someone do not get their pregnancy registered within first three months.As per the information tabled in the Parliament earlier this year, Haryana had seized 241 ultrasound machines, suspended 9 medical licenses, witnessed 54 convictions, and 108 cases are on-going in Courts under PC & PNDT Act upto September 2014.