Karnataka government will take several measures, including setting up of a task force, to prevent female foeticide, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Health and Family Welfare Minister, said in the Legislative Council on December 12.
He was responding to a discussion initiated by members of various parties on the issue of recent incidents of prenatal sex determination and female foeticide cases.
Vigilance wing
The Minister said that the government will strengthen the vigilance wing in the Health Department. “We will set up task forces at the State level and district levels. These will not only conduct surprise inspections and raids on hospitals and health institutions, but also gather intelligence from the ground. They will have the power to arrest wrong doers and initiate criminal action against them,” he said.
Apart from medical experts, these task forces will have an officer of the cadre of Deputy SP or Assistant Commissioner of Police. “We are working with DPAR, Home and other departments to see that police officers of such a cadre are deputed to Health Department,” the Minister said.
Officers in the Health Department and the task force will function in a manner similar to their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. They will work in coordination with the Police Department, other wings of government and civil society groups, Mr. Rao said.
Follow up with mothers
“The task force will carry out decoy operations and traps. They will also follow young mothers who have had girl children and see if they face the pressure. They will be counselled not to opt for medical termination of pregnancy,’‘ the Minister said.
“The task force and other officers will work within the framework of the law and ensure proper implementation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, IPC and Evidence Act. However, if we feel that there is a need for amendments to any of these laws, we will try to initiate it,” he said.
The Health Department will work with other departments and civil society groups to take up an information and communication campaign against evil practices like prenatal sex determination and female foeticide. “It is a social issue that has led to inflexible opinions and prejudices among the general public. This has to be countered with a well orchestrated information and awareness campaign. We are already doing it. But we will take it up intensively,” he said.
Congress member Umashree, BJP members Bharati Shetty and Tejaswini Gowda, B.M. Farooque and others initiated the discussion. Ms. Umashree, Ms. Shetty, Ms. Gowda and others spoke at length on the issue. Shashil Namoshi, was in the chair.
Govt. to consider increasing prize amount
Speaking in the Council, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao said the State government would consider increasing the prize money being given to informers of female foeticide cases from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh.
Replying to the calling attention motion debate over female foeticide cases, the Minister said it would be among the measures taken to further curtail female foeticide cases.
The government would announce a temporary telephone number to which people (informers) can pass on the information relating to female foeticide. This telephone number will later be integrated with the State’s 104 Arogya Sahayavani, the health information helpline. Bids would be invited next month to select the agency to manage the round-the-clock helpline service, he said.
The Minsiter said that the government would also consider making scanning centres renew their licence once every two years.
