Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, April 11-
To combat the serious issue of female foeticide, the Health Department, in Haryana, is taking strong and proactive steps to strictly enforce the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act across the state.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health), has constituted a State Task Force to regularly monitor the implementation of the Act. The task force is actively conducting field visits, holding review meetings, and taking strict action against violators. In a major step forward, it has been decided that every pregnant woman having a girl child will be assigned a dedicated caregiver called a “Saheli.” The “Saheli” will be either an Anganwadi Worker (AWW) from the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department or an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) from the National Health Mission (NHM). The “Saheli” will provide continuous support and care to the pregnant woman starting from the first or second trimester until the safe delivery of the child.