IMPHAL, Feb 18 (DIPR): A joint meeting of the State Advisory Committee (SAC), State Appropriate Authority (SAA), and the State PC-PNDT Cell of Manipur took place at the office of the Directorate of Family Welfare Services, Manipur. The meeting focused on addressing gender discrimination and discussing the role of the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques (PC-PNDT) programme in improving the state’s sex ratio.

Dr. N. Hemantakumar Singh, Director of Family Welfare Services, Manipur, chaired the meeting and emphasized the importance of examining whether there are violations of the PCPNDT Act, particularly on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites. He stressed that there is an urgent need for an advisory or regulation to tackle such violations, as Section-22 of the PCPNDT Act of 1994 prohibits advertisements related to sex determination. Dr. Singh also highlighted the necessity of collaborative programs with other departments that offer benefits or incentives supporting the girl child.

Dr. Sujata Huidrom, the State Nodal Officer for PC & PNDT, presented an overview of the activities conducted across all districts over the past three months. These included district-level meetings, awareness workshops on the PC & PNDT Act and gender discrimination, sensitization programs, and state-level training for public prosecutors.

Tenshubam Sangeeta, MCS, Joint Director of DIPR and a member of SAC, mentioned that District Information Offices have been actively disseminating information by issuing press releases about government activities, including awareness programs on the PC & PNDT Act, Rules, and gender discrimination in the districts.

The PC-PNDT Act aims to protect the girl child by penalizing those involved in sex determination and to act as a deterrent to others, ensuring that gender discrimination is reduced and the sex ratio is improved in the state.