Haryana mulls law to make registration of pregnancy compulsory

In view of the skewed gender ratio in the state, the Haryana government is mulling to frame a law under which registration of pregnancy will be made compulsory.

"Legal opinion is being sought to take action if one does not get pregnancy registered within first three months," state's Health Minister Anil Vij said on Friday while addressing senior officials of the Health and Police Department here.

Vij, while reviewing the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act in the state, said inspections would be conducted on all ultrasound centres in the state within next one month.

"The inspection will be conducted by a joint team of Judicial Magistrate, a police officer and a doctor, which will check the records of all centres," he said.

"Declining sex ratio is a matter of shame for Haryana and the state government is committed to improve the sex ratio in the state," he said.

"In this direction, it has been decided to give a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh to the informer giving information about sex determination cases and those indulging in carrying out female foeticide," the minister said.

"Also, name of the informer will be kept secret," he added.

Vij further said intelligence wing of Police Department would also give its inputs about those found indulging in this evil practice.

Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Ram Niwas and Director General of Police, Yash Pal Singal, were among those who were present in the meeting.

Notably, the Union government's ambitious "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" campaign to improve the child sex ratio was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat in January this year.

The campaign would be implemented in 100 districts of the country, of which 12 districts of Haryana with the lowest sex ratio have been selected. PTI

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