Maharashtra Reconstitutes State Board To Combat Female Feticide

The state government has reconstituted the state board mandated under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, 1994. The board aims to create awareness against sex determination tests, which involve pre-conception and pre-natal determination of a fetus’s sex, contributing to female feticide in the state.

Composition and Leadership

The 27-member body, announced by the Mahayuti government, replaces the board appointed in 2021 during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime. Chaired by the Minister for Public Health, it includes secretaries from Public Health, Urban Development, Law and Judiciary, Women and Child Development, Social Justice, and Medical Education, along with the Commissioner for Health Services and the Director of Health Services. The Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission serves as an ex-officio member.

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Key Members

The board features three legislators MLA Sulbha Khodke, MLA Manjula Gavit, and MLC Chitra Wagh two women activists, Dr Kiran Moghe and Dr. Sudha Kankaria, actor Dr Nishigandha Wad as a social scientist, three gynaecologists, Dr Geeta Pailla, Dr Shobha Moses, Dr Prasad Magar, two paediatricians, Dr Kush Jhunjhunwala and Dr Amol Pawar, and two radiologists, Dr Ajay Jadhav and Dr Rajendra Rameshwar.

Tenure and Functions

The board’s tenure is three years, with meetings required every three months. Its functions include advising the central government on policy, monitoring implementation of the Act, and establishing a code of conduct for Genetic Counselling Centres, Genetic Laboratories, and clinics.