No separate cadre to fight female foeticide

JAIPUR: The government has time and again claimed that it is going all out to wage battle against female foeticide, one of the major social problems in the state.
However, with a team comprising eight members, the task at hand seems not just difficult but impossible to accomplish.
The pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostics techniques (PCPNDT) cell, which is responsible for curbing female foeticide in the state, is working with only eight dedicated employees.
There is no separate cadre for the implementation of the PCPNDT Act.
Every district has one PCPNDT cell coordinator, but they are on contract basis. With limited resources available, the PCPNDT cell of the medical, health and family welfare department is struggling to meet government targets.
Recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had shot off a letter to chief minister Ashok Gehlot asking the latter to check the trend of female foeticide in the state, and also advocated for strong implementation of the PCPNDT Act 1994.
Going by the present condition of the cell, it seems, nothing has been done in this regard.
The PM wrote: “As you know, in your state the child sex ratio has declined by 26 points from 909 to 883 between 2001 and 2011… We need strong action against pre-birth sex selection using modern diagnostic techniques and neglect of girl child once she is born.”
For strong implementation of PCPNDT Act, the state government has appointed collectors and chief medical and health officers as appropriate authority at district level, and sub divisional magistrates at sub division level. However, none of these officials are entirely dedicated towards the implementation of the Act, and it is one of the many jobs that they are assigned to do.
This may seem odd as the state has separate departments and dedicated officers for enforcement of other Acts on health, sanitation, drug, food, narcotics and excise.
“There are no full-time permanent employees of the medical, health and family welfare department or government officials who are solely dedicated to work towards proper implementation of the PCPNDT Act,” a source said.