NCW appeals Centre to make PNDT Act stringent

New Delhi, Sept 2 (UNI) Expressing grave concern over the growing incidence of female foeticide in the country, the National Commission for Women (NCW) today appealed to the UPA Government to make the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition on Sex-Selection) (PNDT) Act more stringent and ''plug all the loopholes in it''.

''The issue is very serious. Female foeticide is being reported from all across the country except Kerala... We need to take immediate steps and the PNDT Act has to be made more stringent,'' NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said.

''Punishment under the Act should be made more stringent and the guilty should not be left scot- free on technical grounds,'' she added.

The NCW chairperson expressed the hope that the Government will introduce amendments to the Act in the Winter Session of Parliament.

Ms Vyas also urged State government's to immediately set up monitoring committees at district level to check the growing practice of illegal abortions which has caused severe imbalance in the demograph of several states, particularly Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

''Monitoring at the grassroot level will only lead to checking this practice. These committees must have members from State Women's Commission, NGO and civil society to make them a success,'' she added.

The NCW chairperson expressed disappointment over the role of district-level health officers deputed under the act to take action against violators of the PNDT Act.

''About 80 per cent of district medical health officers don't know what the PNDT Act is. Many of them don't even have copies of the Act,'' she said.

About the recent case of female foeticide reported from Rajasthan, Ms Vyas said the state government should immediately form a monitoring committee and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raja should head it.

''Awareness about the issue is a must. State Women Commissions, NGO, civil society and the police should come together to fight this social evil. Female foeticide should not be shrugged under the carpet,'' she added.

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