— Dr Balbir Singh orders Strict Vigil to Protect the Girl Child, Stresses Enforcement of PC–PNDT Act
— “Saving the Daughter Is Our Responsibility”: Health Minister Leads State-Level Workshop on PC-PNDT Act in Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH, December 2:
In a move to further intensify efforts to curb female foeticide, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday set an ambitious target for the state to surpass the national average in improving the sex ratio by next year.
The Health Minister, while chairing a state-level capacity building workshop on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PC–PNDT) in Chandigarh, called upon all Civil Surgeons and healthcare workers right up to ASHA workers, for constant vigilance, to monitor pregnancies and prevent this unethical practice. He exhorted health officials to ensure active tracking of every pregnant woman and said there cannot be a worse crime than killing a girl child.
Highlighting the significance of the PC-PNDT Act— which was enacted in 1994 and strengthened in 2003 to prevent the misuse of medical technology for sex determination, the Minister stressed that the law is effective only when society stands behind it. He reminded participants that no person is allowed to seek the sex of an unborn child and no doctor or clinic is permitted to disclose it, adding that any such act is severe crime and carries strict penalties, including imprisonment and cancellation of licences.
Dr Balbir Singh expressed concern that Punjab had historically faced a worrying imbalance between the number of boys and girls, fuelled by social discrimination, regressive mindsets and the inhuman practice of female foeticide. He noted that due to strict enforcement of the law, targeted monitoring, raids, registration systems and sustained awareness campaigns under the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government Government, the situation has begun to improve. Citing the Civil Registration System, he shared that Punjab’s sex ratio at birth improved from 906 females per 1000 males in 2021–22 to 922 in 2023 and 921 in 2024, reflecting a 16-point rise due to coordinated efforts across the state.
The Minister informed that Punjab currently has 2,092 registered ultrasound centres, which were inspected 2,703 times during 2025–26, and that show-cause notices were issued to 13 centres where discrepancies were found. He shared that 63 meetings of the District Advisory Committees were held to ensure vigilance and transparency in implementation.
He reiterated that ultrasound centres violating the provisions of the PC–PNDT Act will face strict action, ranging from licence cancellation to legal penalties. Stressing that maternal diagnostic services have now been made easily accessible at primary-level institutions such as Aam Aadmi Clinics, he said this expansion strengthens the state’s ability to monitor pregnancies more effectively.
Calling for societal transformation, Dr Balbir Singh said the birth of a daughter must be celebrated and her education, progress and safety must be treated as collective responsibilities. He urged communities to showcase girl achievers as role models to inspire change. “A girl is not merely a gender—she is the honour of a family, the soul of society and the pride of humanity,” he said, adding that even thinking of harming a girl child in the womb disturbs not just a family but the balance of the entire society.
He emphasised that campaigns like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and the PC–PNDT Act form the backbone of a socially progressive future and the true purpose of today’s workshop is to ignite a change in mindset.
Dr Balbir Singh honoured the districts with an improved sex ratio and urged everyone present to take a collective pledge that they will neither seek nor allow anyone to seek the sex of an unborn child, that they will not discriminate between boys and girls in any form, and that they will play an active role in spreading awareness and building a people’s movement to completely eliminate female foeticide from Punjab.
Director PC-PNDT MoHFW GoI Dr Indranil Das, Advocate PC-PNDT Ifat Hamid and Program Management Specialist UNFPA Anuja Gulati trained the participants on various aspects of the PC-PNDT act.
Special Secretary cum MD NHM Ghanshyam Thori, Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur, Deputy Director Dr Navjot Kaur, Assistant Director Dr Harpreet Kaur and Program Officer Dr Arti were also present in the workshop.
