The Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy including schemes and programmes and awareness generation/advocacy measures to build a positive environment for the girl child through gender sensitive policies, provisions and legislation. The measures include the following:-

·           Intensified effective implementation of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 and amended various provisions of the Rules, viz.  programme review at the state level. Five regional review workshops for North, West, central, north east and Southern regions were organized at Srinagar, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bhopal during 2013-14 to evaluate and review the progress of implementation of the PC&PNDT Act, 1994 in the country. During the current financial year 2014-15, four review workshops for North, West, north east and Southern regions were organized.

·     The Government provides financial support to the States and UTs for operationalization of PNDT Cells, Capacity Building, Orientation & Sensitization Workshop, Information, Education and Communication campaigns and for strengthening structures for the implementation of the PC & PNDT Act, 1994 under the National Health Mission (NHM).

·     The Minister of Health and Family Welfare has requested all the State Governments to strengthen implementation of the Act and to ensure timely steps to stop illegal sex determination.

·        Directions given vide Order dated 04.03.2013 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of WP(C) 349/2006 were communicated to the States/ UTs at the level of Health Minister to Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries to ensure immediate compliance.

·      Inspections by the National Inspection and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) have been scaled up. In year 2014-15, 16 inspection visits were undertaken in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Delhi (Twice), Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Manipur, Jharkhand, Tamilnadu and Gujarat.

·           States have been advised to focus on Districts/Blocks/Villages with low Child Sex Ratio to ascertain the causes, plan appropriate Behaviour Change Communication campaigns and effectively implement provisions of the PC & PNDT Act, 1994.

The Central Supervisory Board (CSB) was constituted by the government under Section 7 of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, with the mandate to review and monitor implementation of the Act and rules made there under. A total of 22 meetings of the CSB were held since inception of the Act to review the implementation of the Act.

 As per Reports submitted by States/ UTs, a total number of 206 convictions have so far been secured under the Act. The year-wise details of conviction, maintained since 2009 and the details of total conviction as furnished by States/UTs are given below:-

Total convictions under PC & PNDT Act (up to December, 2014)

As per Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) submitted by States/ UTs,  A total of 295 court cases for non-registration of clinics have been filed by the concerned Appropriate Authorities under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994.

Directions given vide Order dated 04.03.2013 by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Voluntary Health Association of Punjab vs UoI were communicated to the States/ UTs at the level of Union Health Minister and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India to Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries respectively to ensure immediate compliance.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

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MV/BK