Srinagar, June 16: Voicing concern over the declining sex-ratio in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government Thursday said it has sealed 78 clinics for conducting pre-natal sex determination tests in the last three months as a part of its drive to check the practice, “more prevalent” in urban areas.
The government has sealed 78 diagnostic centres, for conducting pre-natal sex determination tests, so far from March in the state, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma told reporters here. “We have sealed 54 clinics in Kashmir and another 24 in Jammu which were not following the set guidelines,” Sharma said.
“Sex determination tests are more prevalent in civilised (urban) areas of the state,” he said, adding that effective steps have been taken by the government to curb the practice.
As per Census 2011, the sex-ratio in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped alarmingly to 869 females per 1,000 males from 859:1,000 in 2001.
The health minister said the government is taking all necessary measures to change the negative trend.
“We are also conducting awareness campaigns against female foeticide,” he said. The government, he said, has also announced cash reward for information about female foeticide taking place anywhere in the state.
“A reward of Rs 25,000 per case will be given to any person who provides information with adequate evidence about female foeticide. We have already approved Rs 5 lakh in 20 such cases, 10 each from Kashmir and Jammu. Two doctors, including a non-state subject medico, were caught red-handed on charges of female foeticide,” Sham said.
“The sex ratio situation is alarming in J&K. There was no system in place. We are trying to formulate a roadmap to help improve the scenario,” the minister said.
“Our position (child sex ratio) is worst in the country. The decline in the sex ratio and female foeticide is result of a larger nexus,” Sham said without elaborating.
The minister admitted that neither the health department nor the institutions have followed Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques (PC &PNDT) Act in letter in spirit.
The minister informed that a departmental level survey ordered to “ascertain” the births during past five years in the wake of Census disclosures about the declining sex ratio has corroborated the findings of the decadal exercise. ‘There was no big difference. The decline in census is a reality,” he said.
On April 16, 2011, government had issued an order directing Block Medical Officers at district levels to engage ANMs/MPHW (male)/CHOs/EE/HE and other health functionaries in the areas of their respective blocks to carry out the “actual survey” of male/female births during the past five years.
Announcing that Rs 263.62 crore State Program Implementation Plan including Rs 30.98 crore as state share has been approved by the center under NRHM, Minister said, an unspent Rs 51.65 crore for the last fiscal would also be made available this year.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST