After having hit the roadblock over the move to block sex determination tools available on the Web, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has now asked his counterpart in communications and information technology ministry to formulate guidelines to block access to the websites.
Clarifying that Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC&PNDT), 1994 prohibits sex selection in any form and also bans advertisements relating to sex selection including advertisements on the Internet, Mr Azad in his recent letter to Mr Kapil Sibal has asked to ensure that such advertisements are not allowed.
“I think it is time to proactively address the proliferation of advertisements of gender diagnostic kits on websites. I would request to take up this matter on priority so that proper guidelines are formulated,” said his letter.
Drawing the attention to steep decline in the child sex ratio, Mr Azad said that steps “should be taken towards blocking access to the websites available on the Internet search engines”.
Earlier, the the ministry of communications and information technology had informed the health ministry that “nothing much could be done with the websites hosted outside India”. They had also claimed that the PNDT Act ‘is only meant for India” and that “they cannot regulate the websites hosted outside the country”. “What is available on the Internet on this particular issue cannot be treated as advertisement, but information,” IT officials had said.
However, the Union health minister has once again took up the issue last week.