Only 13 of 118 PCPNDT Sting Operations Succeed in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra State Health Department has inspected nearly 99 percent of the registered sonography centres across the state during 2024-25, yet convictions under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act remain low. A newly released state government report in Mumbai revealed that despite extensive surveillance, only 10 percent of recent sting operations successfully exposed clinics engaged in illegal prenatal sex determination.
Out of the 11,837 registered sonography centres in Maharashtra, almost all were subjected to quarterly and special inspection drives over the 2024-25 period. However, this high rate of inspection has not translated into a high rate of successful enforcement actions.
Over the last two years, authorities conducted a total of 118 sting operations targeting suspected clinics. Of these, only 13 operations successfully uncovered illegal activities. "We have carried out 118 sting operations in the last two years, and 13 have been successful so far," a senior official from the state health department said.
The state's enforcement mechanism for implementing the PCPNDT Act comprises several bodies. These include the State Appropriate Authority, various district authorities, supervisory boards, advisory committees, and district working groups. Despite the presence of these multiple administrative layers, securing convictions against violators remains a major challenge.
The report also highlighted the historical context of the issue, citing past Census data to show the long-term decline in the state's demographic balance. Maharashtra's child sex ratio for children aged zero to six years dropped from 946 girls per 1,000 boys in 1991 to 894 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011.
Based on demographic estimates, the state health department's report estimated that over four lakh girls are currently "missing" in Maharashtra as a direct result of sex-selective abortions. The ongoing inspections and sting operations are part of the state's stepped-up drive to curb this practice, though the low success rate of these operations highlights the difficulty of catching illegal clinics in the act.
