The Delhi government is working on a proposal to introduce an informer reward scheme, which has been in the pipeline for the last two years, and plans to present it in the Cabinet soon. (Illustration)Informers and pregnant women acting as decoys to help raid clinics illegally performing sex-determination tests could soon be given upwards of Rs 50,000 as a reward if the raid is successful.
The Delhi government is working on a proposal to introduce an informer reward scheme, which has been in the pipeline for the last two years, and plans to present it in the Cabinet soon.
Taking a cue from neighbouring states such as Haryana and Rajasthan, the state government has prepared a plan in which cash incentives above Rs 50,000 will be given to informers helping raid labs and clinics conducting the test illegally. The move will help check female foeticide in Delhi, government officials hope.
As per data provided by the Union Health Ministry, Delhi had 869 females per 1,000 males in 2013-2015. The child sex ratio in the city saw a marginal drop from 887 females per 1,000 males in 2011-2013 to 876 in 2012-2014; and to 869 in 2013-2015.
“We have prepared a proposal to pay some cash incentives to informers and decoys, who are helping the team get hold of these illegal sex-determination labs and clinics to increase public awareness. It has been pending for a while but we will present it in the Cabinet soon,” Dr Nutan Mundeja, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Delhi government told The Indian Express. The amount will be paid once the accused has been arrested.
The Pre-Conception and Prenatal diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act bans hospitals, nursing homes and clinics from using ultrasonography or any such technique to determine the gender of an unborn child. As per the process, officials from the department generally receive a tip-off from the informers, and a decoy is pulled in to contact the lab/doctor involved.
Once the information is confirmed, the team visits the place to catch the accused red-handed. “With this initiative, we hope more people will come forward and help the team in improving Delhi’s skewed female sex ratio,” added Dr Mundeja.
