Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 16 (IANS) Karnataka Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao stated in the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the State government is aware of the rising cases of female foeticide and that strict action has been initiated in this regard.

He said that 46 arrests have been made and eight cases registered since 2023.

He made the statement while replying to questions raised by Congress MLC Jagdev Guttedar and BJP MLC C.T. Ravi.

“No one is being forced to undergo foeticide. People are doing it willingly. There is already a ban on foeticide, and new technologies and machines used to detect foetuses are being tracked and identified. We are in discussions with the Centre on this issue. Female foeticide has not stopped and is still occurring in the State,” the Minister said.

“In some taluk hospitals, the number of male births is unusually high. We are conducting inspections in such places. We are carrying out covert investigations and taking action to prevent female foeticide,” he added.

In a written reply to MLC Jagdev Guttedar, Minister Rao stated that the government is aware of the increase in reported cases of female foeticide. “More cases are coming to light as inspections of scanning centres and hospitals across the State have been intensified,” he said.

“A total of eight cases have been registered in connection with female foeticide since 2023, and 46 persons have been arrested. Across the State, registration of pregnant women has been completed 100 per cent, and technology is being used to monitor data at the village level,” he said.

He further stated that so far, 136 cases have been filed in courts against scanning centres, owners and doctors under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act. “Of these, fines have been imposed in 74 cases, while 65 cases are under trial. The reward amount for information in such cases has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. For effective implementation of the PC & PNDT Act, a State-level task force has also been formed,” Rao said.

Earlier, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi said that cases of female foeticide were rising in the State. He alleged the involvement of government doctors and nurses and claimed that a high-tech network was operating to carry out the illegal practice.

Ravi said the existing law was not being implemented effectively and called for a stronger law to curb female foeticide. He also demanded the cancellation of the licences of doctors found involved in such activities.

Responding to the allegations, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao reiterated that female foeticide has not stopped in the State and described it as a deep-rooted social evil. He said the government was taking strict steps to curb the menace.

The Minister said it has been decided to appoint nodal officers in every district to monitor cases of female foeticide. He added that after the present government came to power, amendments were made to the law.

“There is a growing practice of terminating pregnancies by consuming pills, and this needs to be regulated. We are considering bringing in stronger legal amendments to address this issue,” he added.

–IANS

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