Minister for Health & Medical Education, Chaudhary Lal Singh chaired the meeting of State Supervisory Board on Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC & PNDT) here today.Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Asiya Naqash was also present in the meeting.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister stressed on the need of devising multi-pronged strategies with emphasis on gender sensitive policies, provisions and legislation to build a positive environment for girl child through. He sought active cooperation of all segments of the society in saving the girl child and ensuring her a secure and dignified life as efforts of the government alone would not be enough to deal with this menace.
The Minister directed the Law department to add teeth to the present Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Sex Selection/Determination Act (PC&PNDT) by making certain necessary amendments in the existing rules on the lines of amendments made by the union Government.
Secretary Health and Medical Education, Dr. M. K. Bhandar gave a brief detail of functioning of the State Supervisory Board and its achievements.Dr Yashpal Sharma, Mission Director, NHM, J&K gave a detailed presentation on issues of declining sex ratio in the State and its district wise status.The board also reviewed the action taken report of the previous meeting and advised divisional authorities to focus on districts, blocks and villages with low Child Sex Ratio to ascertain the causes, plan appropriate behavior Change Communication campaigns and effectively implement provisions of the PC & PNDT Act.
Secretary Social Welfare, Sanjeev Verma, Director Family Welfare, Dr Baldev Raj Sharma, Director Health Services Jammu, Dr. Baljeet Pathania, Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr. Samir jee Mattoo, Addl Secretary Law, Muzaffar Ahmad Wani, Director Finance H&ME, Zahoor Ahmad Wani, HoD Pediatrician GMC Srinagar, Dr Kaiser Ahmad, HoD Obs & Gynae, GMC Srinagar, Dr Shehnaz Taing, HoD Genetics, SKIMS, Dr Zafar Amin besides senior officers of Law, Health & Medical Education, Social Welfare Departments present in the meeting.