Bhopal:Faced with a declining sex ratio, the Madhya Pradesh government has directedthat cases against sonography centres - misused by people who want sons - can nowbe directly registered in courts.

 

According to official sources, violations under thePre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act would be dealt with directly by thecourts.

"Minister for Public Health and Family Welfare AjayVishnoi has directed the PNDT state supervisory board that cases againstsonography centres for sex determination tests should be registered straight incourt so that erring institutions can be punished at the earliest," saidan official here.

The minister also asked for action against centres that failto submit detailed records of their clients to chief medical officers everymonth.

The state has 1,139 sonography centres, including 1,058private ones.

The act strictly forbids the use of pre-natal diagnostictechniques for sex determination and restricts sharing information on thefoetus' sex. "It further prohibits sex selection, sale of ultrasoundmachines to unregistered units and any kind of advertising for sexdetermination techniques," said Sunil Jain, counsel for NGOs Praytan andDharti Gram Uthan that recently petitioned against the prevalence of femalefoeticide in the state.

"Though the act exists, its poor implementation hasseen an alarming decline in the child sex ratio over the past two decades. Froma child sex ratio of 975 girls per 1,000 boys in the state in 1981, it hasdeclined to 932 girls as per Census 2001," he said.

 

The 2001 Census figures paint a startling picture about thegender balance in some districts with the worst affected being Bhind (832 girlsper 1,000 boys), Morena (837) and Gwalior(853). In some villages of Morena, there are as few as 400 to 700 females forevery 1,000 males.

"If conditions do not improve, girls will be on thebrink of extinction at these places," said another official, pointing outthat the state's ratio (920 girls per 1,000 boys) was far below the nationalratio of 933 girls per 1,000 boys.