Health dept to honour panchayats for bettering child sex ratio

The health authorities have decided to honour panchayats in the district for showing exemplary improvement in child sex ratio (CSR). Civil surgeon Dr VK Govila the department would honour panchayats with the best CSR in the district and those panchayats which register remarkable improvement against their previous years' CRS.

The health authorities have decided to honour panchayats in the district for showing exemplary improvement in child sex ratio (CSR).

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Civil surgeon Dr VK Govila the department would honour panchayats with the best CSR in the district and those panchayats which register remarkable improvement against their previous years' CRS.

Under the to best village scheme, the top village would be given Rs1 lakh cash award and the second best will get Rs 25,000. On how many villages can reap the benefit under the scheme, Dr Govila said there was no cap on the number of villages and al those panchaysts which show remarkable improvement in CSR would be honoured.

Notably, the Jat land districts - Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Jind - are battling the skewed child sex ratio owing to people's retrograde mindset against girl child.

At present, the CRS of Rohtak district is 825 girls against 1,000 boys in comparison to 853 girls against 1,000 boys (average of the state).

Dr Govila said that to curn female foeticide, the health department had announced Rs 20,000 award for a person informing about couples opting for sex determination test or illegal abortion. “To our surprise, not even a single person has come out with any such complaint till now," he said.

Punishment for offender under PNDT

As per the provisions under Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 2003, any person held guilty of opting for sex determination test can be jailed for three years, besides a fine of Rs 50,000. If the same person is found involved in the said act again, he could get five years' jail. The doctor involved in such conduct would be jailed for three years and a fine of Rs 10,000, besides sealing his clinic. Erring doctor name would be removed off from medical register of Medical Council of India for five years and he would be barred from medical practice for the same period.

Poor conviction rate

After the implementation of amended PNDT Act in 2003, only 24 convictions have taken place in Haryana, of which 18 were doctors.