PC & PNDT Act : App launched for better management of applications for license

kolkata: In a bid to ensure better management and transparent processing of the applications for license under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal diagnostic technique Act (PC & PNDT Act 1994), the Health department has introduced a new web based application.

The web-based application system has been developed by the Health department. The portal has gone live from May 1. Health department has recently issued a notification saying that in order to receive online payment during this process of issuing license to the designated bank account of the respective licensing authorities of the districts; a billdesk has been identified as the centralized payment gateway.

State Health department had already directed the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMoHs) in all the districts to send district inspection and monitoring committees to all blocks, sub-divisions and also to various municipality areas for better surveillance of imaging clinics or diagnostic centres so that pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques (PC&PNDT) Act is implemented properly.

All the CMoHs were instructed to send the inspection and monitoring committee to all blocks for smooth supervision of all imaging clinics. The inspection teams have been asked to go to the clinics and check if there are any anomalies in paper works. The move is to check incidents of prenatal sex determination which is not only found in Bengal but also across the country. The team will collect data from the imaging clinics and verify them to ascertain if any malpractices took place in any centres.

The inspection is carried out throughout the state to ensure that PC&PNDT Act is not violated. Abnormalities are found in around 1 per cent of cases and the steps are taken as per the provisions of the law. The PC&PNDT Act was enacted in 1994 with the intent to prohibit prenatal diagnostic techniques for the determination of the sex of the fetus leading to female feticide.