DHARMAPURI: The district administration has announced that the public who provide valuable information about foeticide and prenatal diagnosis in private clinics for revealing the sex of the child in the district would be rewarded. The public can either contact the district administration over phone or provide proof in person.
Collector P Amudha told reporters that scanning of pregnant women should be done mainly to study the growth of the foetus growth or to probe for any disease in the uterus. She said private clinic found revealing the sex of the embryo would be punished under the Prenatal Diagnostic Technique Act 1994.
She said that those who provide information about revelation of the sex of the unborn would be given a cash award of Rs 1,000.
Deputy Director Health Services Dr N Iyyanar told to Express that the decision to offer an award was the first of its kind in the State.
Though female infanticide was considerably brought down in the district, the sex ratio has not shown a progressive trend, he said.
According to sources, there were 1002 reported cases of female infanticide in 1998 and it gradually came down to 683 in 1999, 487 in 2000, 182 in 2001, 42 in and 38 in 2003. But the figures shot up to 67 in 2004 and 69 in 2005 before going down to 28 last year.
The Dharmapuri Cradle Baby Reception Centre, launched in 2002, has received 1218 babies so far.
