A delegation comprising of Ms. Brinda Karat, Ms. Sudha Sundararaman, and Dr. Sabu George met the Health Secretary on April 17th, 2013, and submitted a petition highlighting the poor implementation of the PNDT Act, in a situation where the child sex ratios are falling to alarmingly low levels in many states. They stressed the need for continuous, effective monitoring by the Health Ministry to ensure that appropriate legal action is taken against violators of the law, and pointed out that there had been no inspections over the past five months by the central team designated for this purpose. They expressed concern over the lack of follow up even where cases have been filed against erring doctors, as in Kushinagar, UP. They also pointed out that advertisements promoting sex selection are being propagated regularly on the net by google, and urged the Health Ministry to take stern measures against this blatant violation of the law. The Health Secretary engaged in a productive discussion on the issues raised, and assured the delegation that they would be looked into with seriousness. He also responded positively to suggestions emphasizing regular meetings of the different committees that had been set up, and the importance of strengthening the monitoring mechanisms for the effective implementation of the PcPNDT Act.
