Maharashtra forms State Task Force to curb illegal sex determination, female foeticide

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday constituted a highlevel State Task Force to strengthen enforcement of the PreConception and PreNatal Diagnostic Techniques PCPNDT Act and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy MTP ActThe move by the Maharashtra Government aims to curb illegal sex determination prevent female foeticide and improve the states child sex ratioAs per IANS the Government Resolution GR issued by the Public Health Department follows a formal proposal submitted by the Additional Director of the State Family Welfare Office Pune on August 20According to the official statement the government has noted recent widespread violations of the PCPNDT and MTP Acts across various districts In order to prevent female foeticide stop illegal terminations and balance the sex ratio at birth the government identified an urgent need for multidepartmental coordination to conduct inspections and maintain active surveillance over sonography centres and MTP facilitiesMaharashtra Government forms State Task Force STFThe newly announced State Task Force features prominent women legislators and will be headed by former Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe Its members will include Dr Pragya Satav Member of Legislative Council MLC Bhavana Gawali MLC Chitra Wagh MLC Uma Khapre MLC Dr Manisha Kayande MLC Sneha Dubey Pandit Member of Legislative Assembly MLA Vasai and Shweta Mahale MLA ChikhliThe Additional Director State Family Welfare Office Pune will be the Member SecretaryThe Task Force has been granted extensive powers and directives It will conduct direct visits to districts and municipal corporations to review the performance of Appropriate Authorities District Civil Surgeons for districts and Municipal Medical Health Officers for civic bodies and recommend corrective measuresTask force to carry out unannounced inspectionsThe task force will carry out unannounced inspections of sonography centres diagnostic labs and MTP facilities alongside local administrative officers to ensure complete legal complianceFurthermore the STF will also be focusing on initiating swift criminal or legal action against any medical facility found violating the PCPNDT or MTP Acts during inspectionsThey will also be focusing on submitting proposals to the government to resolve administrative bottlenecks and legal loopholes in enforcing both the Acts across all regions and suggesting social measures to build positive public awareness against female foeticide and highlight the value of the girl childSTF to submit a detailed report to the Public Health Department every three monthsFurther the task force will hold district and municipallevel review meetings with local officers to streamline joint enforcement effortsThe task force is mandated to submit a detailed observation and recommendation report to the Public Health Department every three months for necessary administrative action The tenure of the Task Force is fixed for a period of three years as per IANSThe state governments move is to step up its drive against illegal sex determination and curb female foeticide State health authorities run specialised inspection drives across thousands of registered sonography and MTP centers Offending clinics face machine sealing suspension of medical licenses and criminal chargesWith inputs from IANS