Sex ratio: Civil surgeons told to conduct more raids

The State Health Department Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Rippudaman Singh Dhillon, has directed all Civil Surgeons in the state to increase the frequency of raids in cases of illegal Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) violations, and to take strict action against the offenders.

Dhillon was presiding over a meeting of the Special Task Force constituted to monitor the sex ratio in the state here today. It was informed at the meeting that the sex ratio in the state had reached 915.

Civil Surgeons, Nodal Officers, and Police Department officers of districts lagging behind in sex ratio were directed to keep a close watch on illegal MTP and PNDT cases within their respective jurisdictions.

He also said while filing FIRs, all aspects should be taken into consideration so that the accused did not get acquitted due to lack of evidence. He further said in cases where it appeared that the accused had been acquitted by the lower court due to inadequate representation, an appeal must be filed in the higher court. He sought details of court cases from the past three years to determine whether challans were being filed on time.

Expressing displeasure over improper birth registration of newborns during camps in slum areas of several districts, he directed officers to spread awareness in areas where frontline workers resided and ensure proper birth registration.