In a concerted push to improve the sex ratio in Haryana, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal today chaired a meeting with all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the state. The meeting focused on intensifying efforts to curb female foeticide and strengthening measures under the flagship ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign.
During the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary gave a series of comprehensive directions to the Deputy Commissioners to deal with the problem of female foeticide, asking them to treat this mission as a personal priority, emphasizing that consistent, grassroots-level action is critical to achieving long-term results.
As part of the strategy, District-level Standing Committee— to be headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners and CMO being a member secretary — are being established to ensure tighter monitoring, enforcement and coordination to further improve the state's sex ratio. The Committees have been asked to conduct meetings every week, and take report on sale of MTP kits, inspection of MTP and ultrasound centres and designing strategies to curb sex determination and female foeticide.
The Additional Chief Secretary said the issue of illegal abortions is a deep-rooted societal challenge that demands a whole-of-government approach, along with active participation from all sections of society. He directed DCs to ensure that there is no illegal sale of MTP kits in their districts, adding that regular inspections and strict action against the offenders was required to deal with this problem.
Any doctor found engaging in sex-selective practices will face stringent disciplinary action, including cancellation of their licence by the Haryana Medical Council. Further, all abortions beyond 12 weeks must be thoroughly investigated, particularly in cases where the couple already has one or more daughters.
Civil Surgeons have been instructed to lead these investigations and maintain a close watch. Any suspicious MTP case shall be tracked and action shall be taken according to law. The Health Department has also been directed to ensure ANC registration of every pregnancy before 10 weeks and issue a formal order in this regard.
To provide personalized support and monitoring, all pregnant women with one or more female children are being assigned an ASHA or Anganwadi Worker (AWW) as a SAHELI (companion) to counsel them and monitor their pregnancies. A record of these women and their SAHELIs will be maintained by Civil Surgeons. In the event of an abortion, appropriate action will be taken against the concerned ASHA or AWW.
The SMO In-charges of CHCs (urban and rural) will be the focal point for activities regarding sex ratio improvement. CHC-wise strategy shall be formulated for improvement in sex ratio.
Apart from this, all district administrations have been instructed to expand Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns and involve religious and community leaders in amplifying the message of gender equality and the value of girl child.