Udupi Authorities Tighten Grip on PCPNDT Violations
Udupi, Feb 12, 2025: Udupi district administration will take strict legal action against individuals, scanning centers, and hospitals involved in prenatal sex determination and disclosure, warned Dr. Prashanth Bhat, In-Charge District Health and Family Welfare Officer.
He was speaking at a district-level advisory committee meeting on the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, held at the District Health and Family Welfare Office today.
Dr. Bhat emphasized the strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act, stating that any violations, including unauthorized activities in scanning centers, would be met with severe legal consequences. He stressed that prenatal sex determination is a punishable offense under the law, as it leads to gender imbalances in society, resulting in increased crimes against women.
He also highlighted that from April to November 2024, the gender ratio in the district stood at 966 females per 1,000 males. Awareness programs involving NSS students have been launched in villages where the female birth ratio is lower, to educate communities about the social consequences of gender imbalance.
Dr. Pratap Kumar, Chairman of the District PCPNDT Advisory Committee, stated that scanning centers must prominently display warning boards about the illegality of fetal sex determination and maintain proper records as per government regulations. Notices have already been issued to five scanning centers for failing to maintain Form F and other required documentation.
He further directed PCPNDT committee members to conduct surprise inspections of scanning centers and ensure proper verification of documents before granting licenses to new centers.
The meeting was attended by District Family Welfare Officer Dr. Ramarao, Pediatrician from Manipal KMC Dr. Kiran Hebbar, District Information Officer Manjunath B, social worker Dr. Ganesh Pai, Brahmavar Community Health Center Administrative Officer Dr. Deekshitha, and other officials.
