Did you know that the would-be mother’s age and the Chinese calendar month at the time of conception are just what you need to find out the sex of the foetus? Or that the ayurvedic prescription of juice from Banyan tree offshoots is a potent drink for a healthy male child (sic).While a mobile company has already been pulled up for displaying such information on its website, it is now the turn of Ayurvedic texts prescribed in the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery curricula to be given a thorough look-in for promoting ‘‘pre-natal sex determination’’ or ‘‘pre-conception sex selection’’.According to Section 22, Chapter VII of the amended Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 2003, no person or organisation can issue, publish, distribute, communicate or cause to be issued, published/distributed/ communicated any advertisement regarding pre-natal determination or pre-conception selection of sex by any means — scientific or otherwise.State Family Welfare Bureau Additional Director P.P. Doke told Express that Kaumarya Brutya Tantra is an Ayurvedic textbook that gives advice on how to beget a male child. According to Deputy Director Ashok Belambe, the book is authored by Vaidya Nirmala Sadashiv Rajawade and published by Vaidya Mitra Prakashak. ‘‘We are studying the textbook which provides information on how to conceive a son,’’ he confirmed.While most organisations are unaware of the amended Act, it was Supreme Court lawyer Ravi Shankar Kumar who noticed the content posted on the Women’s World section of Reliance Infocomm’s website last year. Reliance withdrew the content in January after the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation slapped a case against it last December.Some doctors, also unaware of the amended Act, issue handbills and advertisements on how to beget a male child. ‘‘Now, based on several complaints, we are also studying Ayurvedic textbooks,’’ said Doke.Four other cases have been lodged for publishing advertisements via the Internet regarding sex selection of a child. Those booked are Dr Chhaya Thatte of Aurangabad, Pune-based Dr Nandedkar for advising homoeopathic solutions, Dr Devendra Jain of Thane for his home-made remedies and Dr Aniruddh Malpani of Mumbai.Maharashtra has been one of the worst offenders in combating illegal sex determination tests. At least 4,723 ultrasound centres have been registered here, but so far, only 41 cases have been filed for violating the PNDT Act.Again, only four have actually been caught in the act of determining the foetus’ sex using ultrasound — done after sending out decoys and raiding clinics. Cases have been filed against Dr Kirtikumar Argade and Dr Meghana Argade of Kolhapur, Dr Ambadass Kadam, Dr R.Y. Kadam and D. Shette of Satara.
