PHA-Exchange> PNDT Amendments

[jo]

Dear all,

'India's vanishing girl children' has been an issue ever since The Supreme Court intervened in the matter. As you are aware, the national census of 2001 exposed this shocking picture of Child Sex Ratio, which is as bad as 793 girls per 1000 boys in the state of Punjab. This has happened when the country had a law called Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique [Regulation and Prevention of misuse] Act 1994 to stop the practice of sex determination which precedes selective female foeticide. 

Finally the policy makers were on their toes and an Amendments with reasonably good provisions to curtail this practice was prepared and cleared by the cabinet. The Amendment is expected to discuss and pass in the current session of the parliament. However the recent media reports [The Hindu of 24th Sunday, Page No. 10] speak voluminously about the efforts to stall the introduction of the Amendments to PNDT Act 1994 in the parliament. The report says "Taking up the cudgels on behalf of the Indian Radiologists Association, several MPs have been seeking amendments on the ground that the provisions are too sweeping as it did not make any distinction between clinics, which are engaged in diagnosis for gynecological purposes and those for non-gynecological purposes". If this is an indication it is unlikely that the Amendment will pass through the current session of the parliament. The meeting of MPs called by the chairman of Rajyasabha also could not reach any consensus. The major opposition is the inclusion of all the ultra sound machines irrespective of its use for gynecological or non-gynecological purpose, under the purview of the Act. The proposed amendment requires that all the machines should be registered and records of the services maintained. This requirement is unavoidable and any dilution of it will hamper the potency of the Act to curtail the misuse of ultrasounds. 

It is important for all of us to put our genuine effort to lobby with the policy makers. 


Please appeal to various policy makers and people's representatives in India to ensure the smooth passage of Amendments in the parliament. We have attached a draft appeal, which may e- mail to them. Please cut and paste the draft appeal [with changes if required]. You can send them to known MPs/ MP representing your constituencies etc. You can access the E-mail address of Members of Parliament and concerned ministers from the following address. 


www.ncasindia.org/onlineresources/mplist1.htm


www.ncasindia.org/onlineresources/ls1.htm


Also please circulate this information. 

Thanking you

Dr. Joe Varghese
Programme Coordinator

Policy Advocacy & Research Group
Christian Medical Association of India
A-3 Local Shopping Centre, Janakpuri
New Delhi 110 058
Phone - 91-11-5599991/2/3 [o]
                        5513338 [R]
Fax - 91-11-5598150
E-mail - jvarghese at cmai.org
            vakkan2000 at yahoo.com
Web - www.cmai.org


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