New Delhi:April 28:Madhya Pradesh Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Ajay Vishnoi has announced a ten time increase in the cash award given to those informing of female foeticide. The reward has been increased from Rs. ten thousand to Rs. one lakh.Shri Vishnoi was addressing a conference of health and family welfare ministers of states held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here today. Union Minister for Health Dr. Ambumani Ramdos and Minister for Social Welfare Smt. Renuka Choudhary also addressed the conference. The ministers informed about the measures adopted by them to check female foeticide in their respective states.
Shri Vishnoi informed on the occasion that licences of eight sonography machine operators have been cancelled and six licences suspended for disclosing the gender of foetus. A machine at Harda district headquarters has been seized from an unauthorized sonography centre and it has been sealed. Cases against 21 sonography machine operators have been filed in the court and cases in another 11 cases are under trial.
The health ministers were asked to ensure strict enforcement of the P.C. and P.N.D.T. Act to curb female foeticide. Shri Vishnoi pointed out that the union health minister has asked the state health ministers to make the district collector the main officer in charge instead of chief medical officer to check female foeticide, but Madhya Pradesh government has already done it six months ago.
Madhya Pradesh Commissioner, Health Smt. Alka Upadhyaya and other officers concerned attended the conference.