Ganjam district to deal strictly against female foeticides

Identifying sex detection as a major cause for female foeticides in Orissa, Ganjam district officials has decided to strictly implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic (Prohibition) Act.
 
"Declining sex ratio is one of the causes of the female foeticides and tough action will be taken against those practising it illegally," chief district medical officer (CDMO), Ganjam Ratnakar Behera said.
 
Sex selection, detection and abortion without any illness are illegal and under the Act one should be punished up to five year jail and fine up to Rs 50,000, he said.
 
In Ganjam district, there are at least 36 registered ultra sound machines in different hospitals including five in government hospital, he said.
 
The government has decided to implement the Act stringently as 11 of 30 districts in the state recorded reduced male-female sex ratio than the state average. The sex ratio in the state was 972 female per 1000 male as per the census 2001.
 
The districts which have recorded low sex ratio than state average are Angul (941), Balasore (953), Cuttack (938), Dhenkanal (961), Jagatsinghpur (963), Jharsuguda (946), Khurda (902) Nayagarh (938), Sambalpur (969), Sonepur (966) and
Sundargarh (957).