The detective agency hired by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab to check female foeticide in the State conducted it’s first successful sting operation on Tuesday in Amritsar, that led to the arrest of a female doctor under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act. A case was registered after a doctor at Bharat Hospital in Chheharta took a sum of Rs. 15,000/- from a decoy patient sent by the empanelled detective agency for sex-determination test to rule out girl child in the womb of the decoy lady.Sh Surjit Kumar Jyani, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab here today revealed that this is first of its kind sting operation conducted by the detective agency, which recently has been empanelled by the State Government to check the misuse of technology for sex-determination by certain nefarious elements.
Giving details of the case he informed that the woman decoy planted by the agency visited Dr. Shupla Sharma of Bharat Hospital yesterday and talked to her about already having 2 daughters and her intentions to abort the child, in case the current pregnancy also turns out to be a female foetus. Subsequent to the consent by the doctor, the money was handed over to the hospital.The Health Minister further disclosed that meanwhile, under the supervision of Dr HS Bali, Director Health Services, a team led by Civil Surgeon, Amritsar accompanied by the decoy patient was rushed the hospital, which recovered the marked currency notes from the doctor. A written complaint by the Civil Surgeon (who is the appropriate authority under PC-PNDT Act) regarding the acceptance of money for conducting Sex-determination by the lady doctor was given to the local Police and a case under relevant sections of PC-PNDT Act was registered against Dr. Shupla Sharma.
Sh Jyani said that the lady doctor has been arrested and produced in the court today under the non-bailable and non-compoundable charges. He added that Punjab government is committed for the cause of girl child and has taken numerous steps to improve the skewed sex-ratio in the state.Ms. Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health in this regard informed that the department has recently hired the professional services of leading detective agency to catch hold of the violators of Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique Act (PC-PNDT Act). She said that this initiative has been taken by the department to keep a strict vigil on certain nefarious and anti-social elements in the society who indulge in mal-practice of sex-determination and female foeticide. She told that the move is significant in view of the fast changing technology that is reportedly being misused by such elements, to earn a fast buck.She said the sex-ratio has fairly improved in the past few years owing to the concerted efforts by the department in strict enforcement of PC PNDT Act and stepping up the awareness regarding the worth of girl child. She said that Punjab has already enhanced the award money to the informers under PC-PNDT Act from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 1 Lakh.