Issued by: Dr. P. Jagadeeswara Rao, District Medical and Health Officer, Visakhapatnam. Date: 11.06.2026

Visakhapatnam: Indian News Times:A joint meeting of the District-Level Multi-Member Appropriate Authority and the District-Level Advisory Committee regarding the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act was held today, 11.06.2026, under the chairmanship of the District Collector.

District Collector Sri M. Abishikth Kishore directed officials to visit all scanning centers in the district to verify the doctors' educational qualifications and the centers' documentation. He instructed that permissions be granted only after a thorough review of the applications uploaded online by the scanning centers. He ordered that details of scanning centers and the relevant checklist be made available on the district website and directed that full details regarding rejected applications be submitted. He advised conducting decoy operations with the assistance of the Police Department and ordered that the checklist be attached to the meeting minutes. He stated that if the Commissioner of Police is unable to attend the meeting, a subordinate officer of appropriate rank should be nominated and sent. He also directed that meetings be scheduled on Saturdays at a time convenient for the Additional District Judge. Furthermore, he mandated that all scanning centers display posters stating that sex determination is a crime under the law in three locations: the patient waiting hall, outside the scanning room, and inside the scanning room.  Directives were issued requiring all private scanning centers (clinics, labs, and hospitals) to mandatorily perform free scans for 5% of their cases and to record these details in a register for submission to the District Medical and Health Officer's (DMHO) office. Furthermore, centers seeking registration renewal were instructed to submit details of the 5% free scans performed on pregnant women during the month to the DMHO's office as a prerequisite for renewal. It was also emphasized that sex determination is a legal offense; all departments were urged to cooperate, participate in awareness meetings, and strive to improve the female-to-male sex ratio.

The meeting was attended by Dr. I. Vani (Superintendent, KGH), Dr. Soumini (Gynecologist), Dr. Ratnakumari (Pediatrician), Dr. Sushma (Radiologist, KGH), Dr. Lucy (DIO), Mr. P. Ramesh Babu (NGO representative), Ms. Aruna Priyanshika (NGO representative), Mr. B. Nageswara Rao (DEMO), Mr. Srinivasa Rao (Sub-Inspector of Police), Mr. M. Kishore (APRO), and staff from the DEMO wing.

      District Medical and Health Officer
                         Visakhapatnam