In a decisive move to curb female foeticide and improve the child sex ratio, the Haryana Health Department has issued strict directives for increased vigilance and action against illegal medical practices. The state's top health officials have called for a crackdown on clinics and practitioners flouting laws related to pregnancy termination and prenatal diagnostics.
Task Force Meeting Directs Strict Action
Rippudaman Singh Dhillon, the Secretary of the Haryana Health Department and Director of the National Health Mission, chaired a crucial meeting of the Special Task Force on Tuesday. This task force is specifically constituted to monitor the sex ratio in the state. During the meeting, Dhillon instructed all civil surgeons across Haryana to significantly ramp up raids targeting illegal Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and violations of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act.
The directive emphasizes taking stringent legal action against offenders found guilty of these practices, which are a major contributor to the skewed sex ratio. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Dr. Kuldeep Singh, the Director General of Health Services, and Dr. Virender Yadav, among others.
Focus on Districts Lagging in Sex Ratio
Officials presented data revealing that the sex ratio of girls in Haryana currently stands at 915. Expressing concern, Dhillon specifically instructed civil surgeons, nodal officers, and police officials in districts that are performing poorly on this metric to maintain a close watch on illegal activities within their jurisdictions.
He underscored a zero-tolerance policy, mandating that strict proceedings must be initiated against anyone found violating the MTP and PNDT laws. The aim is to create a strong deterrent and systematically improve the state's demographic balance.
Ensuring Convictions: A Legal Framework for Vigilance
Beyond ordering raids, the health secretary provided detailed guidance to ensure that legal actions result in convictions. He advised officials that while filing First Information Reports (FIRs), every aspect of the case must be thoroughly documented to prevent the accused from being acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Furthermore, Dhillon stated that in instances where it appears an accused was let off by a lower court because of inadequate representation or legal loopholes, the department must proactively file an appeal in a higher court. To monitor the legal process, he has also sought comprehensive details of all court cases from the past three years to assess whether chargesheets (challans) are being filed in a timely manner.
This multi-pronged strategy—combining ground-level raids, focused attention on weak districts, and a robust legal follow-up mechanism—signals Haryana's intensified commitment to tackling the deep-rooted issue of gender-biased sex selection and protecting the right to life of the girl child.
