K'taka to form new policy, district-level PCPNDT cells to curb female foeticide

Belagavi: The state government will formulate a new policy to curb female foeticide and improve gender ratio, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Tuesday. The government will also establish district-level Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT Act) cells across the state and set up a state-level task force to curb foeticide, he said. 

Responding to a calling attention motion in the Legislative Council raised by MLCs Thippeswamy and others with regard to the recent incident of a doctor from Mysuru being caught for female foeticides, Rao said the state needed to make laws more stringent to curb foeticide. He lamented that the gender ratio in the state was dropping, while stressing the need for more social awareness. 

"Tracking these incidents is a challenge as they are done in nondescript places clandestinely. These days, foeticide is done through oral medication, without any surgical procedure. In many cases, those involved are not even certified doctors," he said. 

The state-level PC&PNDT cell is not functioning effectively, he observed. "We will set up cells at the district-level. They have to inspect hospitals and crack down on those operating without licence," he said. A state-level task force will also be set up to monitor scanning centres every three months, he added. 

The Health Department will also tie up with the police to collect intelligence like in Tamil Nadu. "Health Department officials are not equipped to collect intelligence. Only when the accused are caught in the act can they be dealt with swiftly," he said.