Chandigarh, December 2 — Haryana Health Department Secretary and National Health Mission (NHM) Mission Director Ripudaman Singh Dhillon has directed all civil surgeons across the state to intensify raids and take strict action against those involved in illegal Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) violations.
Dhillon issued the instructions while chairing a meeting of the Special Task Force formed to monitor the state’s sex ratio. Officials informed the meeting that Haryana’s sex ratio has now reached 915 girls per 1,000 boys.
Director General of Health Services Dr. Kuldeep Singh, Dr. Virender Yadav and other senior officials were present during the review.
Dhillon instructed civil surgeons, nodal officers and police officials from districts lagging in sex ratio performance to keep close surveillance on illegal MTP and PNDT activities. He stressed strict legal action against anyone found guilty.
He also directed officials to ensure that FIRs are filed properly with complete evidence so that offenders do not escape conviction due to weak documentation. If a guilty person is acquitted by a lower court due to inadequate representation, the state must immediately file an appeal in a higher court, he added.
Dhillon sought details of the past three years of court cases to assess whether charge sheets are being submitted on time.
He reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign must be implemented with full commitment, and emphasised the need to completely curb female foeticide to achieve a balanced sex ratio in the state. He also expressed displeasure over improper birth registration in urban slum areas and instructed officials to organise special camps to ensure accurate registration of newborns. Frontline workers were told to spread awareness in their local areas and ensure timely birth registration.
