BENGALURU: Pregnant women who are 14 to 16 weeks pregnant can now volunteer to save the girl child. They can be a part of sting operations by the state health department to crackdown on ultrasound scanning centres doing illegal sex determination and win `50,000.
The state health department has been advertising for pregnant women to act as decoys for the past one year, but with no response. The latest offer might encourage pregnant women to come forward for a cause.
Those giving information regarding unregistered scanning centres, portable machines, agents, relatives forcing pregnant women to get sex determination done, especially in the border villages of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, will also be awarded `50,000 for each booked case. Any detective agency willing to work with the state Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques Act (PCPNDT) cell for payment can also give a representation.
Since 2003, out of 600 cases booked under the PCPNDT in Maharashtra, 100 involved decoys.
“NGO activists managed to get more than 70 doctors convicted,” said Sabu George, the activist who was instrumental in bringing preconception sex selection within the Act in 2003.
On the contrary, in Karnataka, out of the measly 77 cases booked in the past 14 years, only two were for communication of the sex of the foetus. No cases were booked through decoy operations. 38 cases are pending under PCPNDT in the state and 39 are closed. There have been no convictions so far. In fact, 40 out of the 77 cases were for non-maintenance of records.
“Are there no pregnant women in the state? Just advertising for pregnant women is not enough. Supporting the women and the local NGOs throughout the case is the main requirement. Also, the women need to be trained,” said activist Varsha Deshpande from Maharashtra whose NGO ‘Lek Ladki Abhiyan’ (My Beloved Daughter) did 49 decoy operations in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra had reached out to Karnataka just three months back to strengthen the implementation of the PCPNDT Act as they believe women go to north Karnataka districts for sex determination and come back to Maharashtra for abortion. Nineteen female foetuses were found near a stream in Sangli of Maharashtra recently.
How can they volunteer?
For more information, pregnant women can contact 080-22341996 or log into www.pcpndtkar.in. Informers are requested to give complaints to www.pcpndtkar.in/index.php/complaint and ddpcpndtkar@gmail.com or contact toll free number 104. Complaints regarding villages of Maharashtra can be given to toll free no. 1800-233-4475 or www.amchimulgi.gov.in.
No pregnant women came forward in 1 yr
The state health department has been advertising for pregnant women to act as decoys for past one year now, but received no response.