These are some of the points from the standard operating guidelines drawn up by the state government to crack down on cross-border gender determination and female foeticide rackets.
Raids, decoys and joint investigations by officials from Maharashtra and neighbouring states and a combined crackdown on mobile sonography centres that illegally determine the sex of foetuses. These are some of the points from the standard operating guidelines drawn up by the state government to crack down on cross-border gender determination and female foeticide rackets.
This, officials said, may translate to more sting operations to trap unscrupulous medical practitioners or quacks engaged in the illegal practice. The protocols will also include capacity building of officials, data sharing and analysis and sharing of best practices.
"Today, there is little coordination or understanding between states when it comes to action against cross-border gender determination and female foeticide. These SOPs are about working together," explained an official involved in the exercise.
This lack of coordination benefits medical practitioners, agents, quacks and couples from Maharashtra or its neighbouring states who frequent sonography or medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) centres in border areas.
The official added that the protocol would cover joint decoy cases and raids, investigations and track of down mobile vans, in which doctors or even quacks use portable sonography machines for gender determination.
"We have written to authorities from neighbouring states to start implementing these protocols," said Dr Archana Patil, additional director general of health services.
Health department officials will hold a meeting with their counterparts from other states for assessing the implementation. Maharashtra shares its borders with Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Patil explained that the SOPs would cover data sharing of sonography centres in the 19 districts in Maharashtra and their adjoining areas in the eight neighbouring states and union territories.
This will cover analysis of F-forms (records of pre-natal diagnostic procedures by ultrasound clinics) covering points like which doctor referred the patient to the centre, the number of girl children that the woman has had and the area she hails from.
Activists claim that cross-border gender determination and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) rackets operate under the surface in hubs like Bijapur, Chikodi, Indi, Gulbarga, Belgaum (Karnataka), Surat (Gujarat), Jabalpur, Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Hyderabad, Adilabad and Nizamabad (Telangana).
THE ACT
- According to Census reports, Maharashtra's general sex ratio declined from 934 in 1991 to 922 in 2001 but marginally rose to 929 in 2011. In contrast, India's sex ratio has increased from 927 in 1991 to 933 in 2011 and 940 in 2011. Maharashtra's child sex ratio (CSR) (ratio of girls to boys between zero to six years) fell from 946 in 1991 to 913 in 2001 and 894 in 2011 as against India's 946 in in 1991, 927 in 2001 and 914 in 2011.
- The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PCPNDT) prevents misuse of pre-natal sex determination techniques and female foeticide, which arises due to regressive social practices like dowry and preference for sons.
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