Action Plan

Save the Girl Child (SGC)

 

Under the overall umbrella of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is being proposed by the way of including as a part of RCH II Program. While RCH II is linked with the critical concerns of safe mother hood, child health and reproductive health issues, (SGC) integrates the Girl child survival before & after conception through implementation of Pre-conception and Pre natal diagnostic technique Act 1994 by regulating misuse of pre-conception and pre natal diagnostic techniques for sex selection and promotion of girl child in the country. SGC will be a decentralized centrally sponsored program.

 

Vision:

 

• To ensure efficient implementation of PC&PNDT Act
• To reduce pre conception and prenatal mortality of girl child and hence improve sex ratio at birth

 

Target group:

 

• All Pre-conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Centers
• Implementing agencies
• Public
• Medical professionals

 

Strategy:

 

• To ensure implementation of all promotional schemes for girl child at district level.
• Monitoring and evaluation of implementation of PNDT Act through community participations.
• Ensure accountability of implementing agencies through monitoring implementation of the Act through community participation.
• Tracking pregnancies, MTPs and birth registration by the way of involving Anganwadi workers, ASHAs  
• Identifying violators of the Act through conducting detailed audits of form ‘F’ filled in for the pregnant women in the clinics.
• Develop a national, state and district annual Plan.

 

 

ACTIVITIES PROPOSED UNDER SGC PROGRAM

 

IEC and publicity activities

• Rallies and Signature campaigns for ‘Save the Girl Child’.
• Involvement of community radio, mass media and internet for information dissemination.
• Awareness program with the help of NGOs/ MNGOs etc like Public Melas, public meetings, Jan Samvads, Jan Sunwai.
• Publicity and information material developed in regional language.
• Public messages in the public places like bus stands, railway stations, Airports, metro stations etc.
• Involvement of print and electronic media to give wider publicity to the issue like advertisement on TV relating to PNDT Act and promotional Girl child schemes in the State.
• Youth campaign against sex selection.
• Local awareness activities such as nukkad natak,dramas, folk art etc.

 

Strengthening the implementation of PNDT Act

 

• Inspection team to be put in place to ensure Regular survey and inspection by the DAA
• Renewal of registrations to be taken on the basis of track record in terms of record keeping, etc of the PNDT Clinics
• Mapping of Mobile ultrasound machines in the States
• Follow-up of the cases in the court by hiring advocates at the district level.
• Ensuring Regular meetings of Sate supervisory board, state appropriate authority, state advisory committee and district advisory committee to review the progress of implementation at different levels.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation:  

• Monitoring birth registration and Sex Ratio at birth by PRI institutions.
• Monitoring of PNDT clinics by MNGOs that will share the responsibility of inspection and monitoring of DAA.
• Identification of unregistered machines in the district by community workers.
• Monitoring of Pregnancies, MTPs, live births and Birth registrations by community workers.
• AAs has to take up medical audit of records of Form F kept by PNDT clinics under national scheme.
• NIMC and NSMC inspections to the State and District Appropriate Authority (DAAs)(Central).
• Regular review and monitoring meetings at the national level and State level in steering group and state health mission respectively for implementation of SGC scheme involving strict implementation of PNDT Act by DAAs.

 

Capacity building

• Training of District appropriate authorities at the State level.
• Training of Judiciary at National and State level.
• Training of NGOs or MNGOs etc
• Training of community workers like ASHAs (it has to be incorporated in their training module)
• Media workshops

 

Networking and Alliance Building

• Networking with NGOs working on the issue in the area
• Interaction and dialogue with medical professionals.
• Networking with women and child development department/ or social welfare departments for the promotional schemes of Girl child.
• Networking with schools, colleges, professional colleges and universities to promote the youth campaign.

 

Reporting and Documentation

• AAs has to ensure the complete maintenance of records by the PNDT Clinics.
• All the updated information to be communicated in specified format by the centre.
• Inspection reports of national and State teams should be reported and documented regularly.
• Manufactures need to send the report of their sales to the Centre and concerned State and Information Bank of Sale of all machines to be recorded and documented.
• All the information like list of registered clinics, details of court cases, mobile units should be put in public domain by printing Annual Report and putting it on line as per the Act.

 

 

Research, innovations and others

• State can take up any Research Study related to the issue in their areas.
• State can take up any other area specific activities as per need.

 

Funding

• Resources should be given to the States by the Centre in Centrally Sponsored Schemes/ Projects like MP scheme, Grant in aid to NGOs, Medical audit, 
• The State can utilize the funds under RCH II felxi-pool Budget for the specified activities and human resources besides National Schemes.
• Registration fee collected under PNDT Act be utilized for implement union of the PC&PNDT Act.

§         Funds will be routed through State Health Society and District Health Society.

 

Human Resource Requirement At Three Levels

• At the National level National PNDT cell need to formulate for national coordination of activities.
• At the State level States should formulate State PNDT cell to coordinate the activities under SGC program and PNDT implementation and facilitate State Plan for SGC program on the basis of District Plans.
• At the District level a District PNDT coordinator to look after SGC program and facilitate District Plan for the SGC Program. An advocate to look into PNDT cases at District level.

 

ACTIVITIES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

• Centralized Activities at National level

-          IEC campaign (Signature campaign, media (electronic & press) campaign, E campaign (like yahoo), TV Spots, advertisements in the print media, FM), youth campaigns.

-          Grant in aid for PNDT related projects to the NGOs.

-          MP Scheme of 5 lakhs to MP for PNDT Activities.

-          Medical audit of the Form ‘F’ records by the DAAs.

-          Amendment to PC&PNDT Act.

-          Monitoring of implementation of PNDT Act through NIMC & NSMC visits and six monthly review meetings at National and State level

-          Centralized Capacity building program for advocates, medical associations through funding partners

-          Awareness program through MNGOs under MNGO scheme

·         State level activities

-          Training program for DAA and other Implementing Agencies.

-          Training program for Judiciary.

-          Documentation of implementation status and regular submission of Quarterly Report to the Centre.

-          Data bank of all the ultrasound machines sold in the State. 

-          Quarterly Review meeting.

-          IEC campaign.

-          Orientation and awareness program in school, colleges, professional colleges to initiate youth campaign for Save The Girl Child.

-          Interactive dialogue and networking with medical professionals and medial associations

-          Awareness programs like public meetings, public rallies, public melas, jan sunvai, jan samvad etc  with the help of NGOs

-          Development of IEC material in regional languages

-          Inspection visits to the districts and visit reports need to send to the Centre

-          Grant in aid for PNDT related activities to NGOs/ MNGOs

-          Review of District Plan proposed for SGC program and other decentralized National Schemes

-          Develop Calendar of activities to be taken under SGC program for the year.

 

·         District level activities

-          IEC Campaign

-          Monitoring of Clinics and awareness program by MNGOs

-          Monitoring of Birth Registration and Sex Ratio at birth by PRIs

-          Develop District Plan on the basis of inputs received from PRIs, Community Workers, ASHAs, AWW, MCW, FCW

-          Preparation of Calendar of Activities under SGC.

-          Record Maintenance of pregnancies, MTP, live births by Community Workers

-          Identification of unregistered Clinics in the District by ASHAs

-          Monitoring & Implementation of Girl Child Schemes by PRIs

-          Training of Community workers viz. AWW, ASHAs, FHW, MHW

-          Medical audits of Form Fs by DAA

-          Implementation of MP scheme by District collector

-          Orientation and awareness programs with schools and colleges

-          Regular inspection visits to clinics by DAA

-          Renewal of registration by DAA

-          Monthly review meetings in District Health Mission.

 

• Implementation Framework

-          National level, the Mission Steering Group(MSG) chaired by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare shall oversee the implementation of the PC&PNDT Act.

-          At State level, the State Health Mission (SHM), chaired by the Chief Minister shall oversee implementation of the programme.

-          The Director, the Nodal Officer for RCH II will be the implementing officer at the state level.

-          Under the overall guidance of the  State Nodal Officer State PNDT Cell shall be formulated to provide human resource support for the coordination of activities under this program in the state.

-          Implementing Committee for RCH II shall ensure the NRHM State Action Plan under RCH II, a specific plan for SGC program incorporating total District-wise requirement of funds.

-          The State PNDT (Implementing and Coordination) Cell under the guidance of Director(H&FW) would:

 

§         Ensure sanctioning of funds for each District based on the District Plan.

§         Oversee overall monitoring and evaluation of the programme in the State and matters concerned therewith

§         Preparation of Annual Plan and Execution of State Annual Program.

§          Facilitate implementation of PC&PNDT Act in terms of inspection visits, SSB& SAB

§         Ensure realization of proposed State IEC Campaign & translation of IEC material in local languages

§         Collect all records from District Authorities and send a consolidate Report to the Government of India

§         Make necessary Reports to the Government of India

 

          Subject to these and other Guidelines issued by the Government of India from time to time, suitable procedures shall be instituted for the effective implementation of the programme.

 

-          At the district level District Health Mission (DHM) shall be:

 

§         Responsible for overall monitoring and evaluation of District Annual Plan

§         Preparation of Annual Plan of the District with the inputs from community members, PRIs, MNGOs/ NGOs and District Nodal officer and district PNDT coordinator

§         Monthly review of implementation of PC&PNDT Act on the basis of observation of MNGOs/ NGOs and other community observers

§         Ensure sanction of funds for each block

 

-          District Implementation Coordinator under the guidance of District Nodal Officer(CMO):

 

§         Ensure the implementation of District Action Plan

§         Send necessary Reports to the State

§         Consolidate the data received from NGOs/ MNGOs and other community sources

§         Implementation of IEC campaign in the District

§         Ensure involvement of students in the youth campaign

§         Facilitate implementation of PC&PNDT Act in terms of inspection visits, District Advisory committee, renewal of registration and other activities.