Punjab Governor Lieut-General J.F.R Jacob (retd) and Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, preside over a state-level programme on combating the menace of female foeticide, in Ludhiana on Thursday. —RB

Ludhiana, January 24
Lieut-General Mr J.F.R Jacob (retd), Governor of Punjab, exhorted all the social, volunteer and educational organisations to make concerted efforts to combat the menace of female foeticide in the state, as the rapid declining sex ratio has touched the alarming mark in the state.

General Jacob was addressing a state-level function at Guru Nanak Bhavan here today organised by the Health Department in collaboration with NGOs to launch a special campaign to educate the masses to combat female foeticide.

Expressing his serious concern over the lowest sex ratio in the state, the Governor warned that if we failed to intervene and take corrective steps at the earliest, it would have serious consequences on the demographic profile of the state.

Underlining the role of women in this field, the Governor stressed upon the need to enhance women literacy rate and to empower them in society. Citing the example of Kerala, where 100 per cent literacy target have been achieved, he said the number of women in Kerala was more than men.

Referring to the efforts so far made in this direction, the governor said some steps to check the determination of foetus have been taken and the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act 1994 was being enforced throughout the state, under which a high-level committee raids ultra-sound centres and takes strict action against centers flouting the Act. Cautioning the people about the emergence of new technologies for determination of sex of foeticide and general bias tendencies in the Indian psyche, the Governor said the people up to the grass-root level, particularly women needed to be made much active against the sex determination tests and foeticide. All maternity homes and clinics treating pregnant women in Punjab would be registered which will help in keeping a check on cases of female foeticide under the PNDT Act.

Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary, Department of Health, Punjab, while addressing the function asserted that the Government was determined to strictly curb the female foeticide and violation of the PNDT Act. He said the pilot project launched from Ludhiana would also be implemented in other cities of the state. Mr Kashyap said Ludhiana city has been divided into 5 zones and three-member teams consisting of a doctor, representative of an NGO and a member of the IMA would be formed which would daily visit the ultrasound centres and submit daily report of the performance of these centres.

Dr O.P.S. Kandey, state president of IMA, pledged on behalf of the members association that no member of the association would indulge in sex determination and female foeticide and asserted that severe punishment under the law would be given to the violators. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, Mr R.L. Kalsia, Commissioner Municipal Corporation, and Mr A.K. Sinha, ADC (D), were also present on the occasion.