DCW notice to DMs seeking compliance report of PCPNDT act

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) today issued notices to all District Magistrates in Delhi seeking compliance of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act even as radiologists from across the country continued with their strike demanding amendments in the legislation.
The PCPNDT Act, which banned pre-natal sex determination, came into force in 1994 to stop female foeticide and check the declining sex ratio in India.
The radiologists had yesterday gone on an indefinite strike alleging provisions of the PCPNDT Act are "draconian" and they need to be amended.
"Seeing horrifying stories of women forced to abort girl child, issued notice to all DM in Delhi seeking compliance of PC PNDT Act," DCW Chief Swati Maliwal said in a tweet.

"The Commission has sought a response from all Deputy Commissioners of all districts of Delhi who are the District appropriate authorities as per the PC-PNDT Act, to understand the implementation of the same," she added.
Some of the details sought through the notice include number of meetings held of the district advisory committee along with minutes of the meeting, list of ultrasound centres in the district along with number of machines and ultrasound operators, number of form-Fs submitted by each facility within district, violations for each facility in the filing of form F and the specifications of these violations and number of show cause notices issued and copies of the same.

The commission has also asked the district authorities to provide details of all "search and seizures" carried out on Genetic Counselling Centres, Genetic Laboratories or Genetic Clinics within the districts.