Mangaluru: Child Rights Panel directs strict monitoring of scanning centres to curb female foeticide

Mangaluru: Child Rights Panel directs strict monitoring of scanning centres to curb female foeticide

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Feb 12, 2026: Emphasising that life is a fundamental right of every child, K.T. Tippeswamy, member of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, directed officials to take stringent measures and create awareness to prevent female foeticide.

He was speaking while chairing a review meeting on the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act at the Dakshina Kannada District Health and Family Welfare Office on Wednesday.

Tippeswamy instructed officials to take strict action against those violating the PCPNDT Act in cases related to foetal sex determination and foeticide. He stressed the need for continuous monitoring of hospitals and scanning centres.

He also directed that the Child Helpline number 1098 be mandatorily displayed in all government institutions, educational institutions and private nursing homes across the district. Further, all hospitals, including government and private nursing homes, must install signboards in local languages stating that sex determination is prohibited under the PCPNDT Act and that it is a punishable offence.

All scanning centres in the district must be compulsorily registered and maintain records in Form F, Tippeswamy said. He also called for steps to create public awareness about the government reward of ₹1 lakh for informants who report hospitals or centres that encourage abortion or sex determination tests.

Referring to child trafficking, he said penalties could be imposed under Section 18 of the 2020 Act in cases involving the sale of children. He also suggested recommending to the government that birth certificates be issued only if pregnant women produce their mother card while undergoing scanning.

Providing details, District Family Welfare Officer Dr Deepa Prabhu informed the meeting that 69 notices had been issued for violations under the PCPNDT Act between March 2025 and January 2026. During inspections of scanning centres in Dakshina Kannada district, notices are being issued wherever deficiencies are found in the implementation of the Act and corrective measures are being ensured. She added that no irregularities have been found in Form F so far and that periodic audits of Form F are being conducted.

Dr Prabhu further said that workshops are being organised at the district level for institution owners, radiologists and gynaecologists on the PCPNDT Act and its provisions. At the taluk and village levels, ASHA workers, anganwadi workers and health staff are being educated about the Act. Villages with low or high sex ratios have been identified, and steps are being taken to conduct a study through the Community Health Department of K.S. Hegde Medical College Hospital to ascertain the reasons for the decline in sex ratio.

District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr H.R. Thimmayya, District Advisory Committee chairperson Dr Amrutha Bhandari, District Inspection and Monitoring Committee member Dr Sundari, Dr Anith Raj, advisory committee members Dr Nanjesh Kumar, Dr Chidanand Murthy, Vasanth Peraje and others were present at the meeting.