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Aadhaar must for sonography soon

The move was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting of the state committee which supervises the implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994

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To curb cross-border gender determination and female foeticide, it may become mandatory for people from outside Maharashtra undergoing sonographies in its border districts to produce their Aadhaar cards. Conversely, it may be necessary for people from Maharashtra who go to these states to do so too.

The state government has zeroed in on nine talukas in Maharashtra with the lowest sex ratio at birth in 2016, and will study the reasons and target its interventions there. This includes Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar (495), Tala in Raigad (736), Mandangad in Ratnagiri (750), Phulambri in Aurangabad (757), Shirur Kasar (Beed) (758), Dharmabad in Nanded (792), Seloo in Wardha (761), Mahagaon in Yavatmal (786) and Mulshi in Pune (769).

The sex ratio at birth in Mumbai city and the suburbs stands at 946 and 932 girls respectively born per 1,000 boys, while the state's ratio is 904.

The move was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting of the state committee which supervises the implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PCPNDT).

"We are evolving protocols with neighbouring states and will hold a meeting in two months," said a senior state government official.

The proposed system will help isolate sonography centres which see an unusually high number of cross-border cases and pinpoint PCPNDT violations. Maharashtra has around 7,600 sonography centres.

A senior official noted that they may have to make it compulsory for all patients in designated areas to produce identity proofs. For those unable to produce their UIDAI cards, other proofs of residence such as voter's cards will do.

Activists and health department officials admit that couples from Maharashtra, especially from border districts, often go to other states to determine the gender of their foetus and abort the female ones.

In March, Sangli police arrested homeopath B.A Khidrapure after 19 foetuses were found dumped at Mhaisal village.

Activists say cities such as Bijapur, Chikodi, Indi, Gulbarga, Belgaum (Karnataka), Surat (Gujarat), Jabalpur, Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Hyderabad, Adilabad and Nizamabad (Telangana) are hubs for such activity, and couples from these places also come to Maharashtra for the same.

Maharashtra shares border with Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

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