Mumbai, May 4: Maharashtra government will set up vigilance committees in four cities of the state, including Mumbai, to check female foeticide.
Speaking at a Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (PCPNDT) review meeting, Health Minister Suresh Shetty said the vigilance committees will be headed by the municipal commissioners.
The committees in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Aurangabad will report to the government every month.
Similarly, he also issued directives for a special drive to check sonography centres in the state, including Kolhapur and Nanded districts, immediately.
The minister said doctors and sonography centres conducting sex determination tests would be punished and stern legal measures would be taken against them.
Internal surveys of the health department say that there was improvement in the sex ratio. "This has happened because of the steps taken by the government to stop female foeticide," Shetty said.
He said the government would concentrate on the districts bordering other states for strict implementation of the PCPNDT Act.
