Silent Observer, an electronic data recorder, has helped prevent illegal sex determination tests.
'Silent Observer', a tamper-proof electronic data recorder that has helped prevent illegal sex determination tests in Kolhapur district, has attracted the attention of the Punjab government.
On a visit to Kolhapur to see the Silent Observer unit in action, Punjab's health minister, Laxmi Kanta Chawla, told DNA that she was impressed with the Kolhapur model for saving the girl child and wanted to replicate it in Punjab to curb the evil of female sex determination and female foeticide.
Chawla led a state delegation comprising the health department's principal secretary, Satish Chandra, family welfare department's director, Ashok Nayyar, and National Rural Health Mission's managing director, Krishna Kumar to Kolhapur where they held discussions with Kolhapur district collector, Laxmikant Deshmukh and civil surgeon, Ravindra Nitturkar about the initiative.
The child sex ratio in Kolhapur, which is among the worst in Maharashtra, has improved from 839 in 2001 to 848 in 2011. The Silent Observer works in conjunction with the website www.savethebabygirl.com where ultrasound centres in the district fill in the 'F' form and the history of pregnant women online. The administration verifies the data and is able to detect suspicious cases.
"The child sex ratio in Punjab was the worst in 2001 at 798, but now has improved to 846. It is still not satisfactory. Surprise visits are conducted on ultrasound centres, decoy cases are sent and sting operations undertaken to detect instances of sex determination. A total of 21 doctors have been convicted in Punjab for violating the provisions of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994," Chandra said.
Chawla said the Kolhapur model has been quite effective in implementing the PCPNDT Act. She said many Indian rituals are derogatory to women. "For instance, it is only sons who are allowed to carry out the last rites. In that sense, I think, the religious leaders should come forward against female foeticide," she said.
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