A new device to enable law enforcing agencies monitor use of sonography machines is being introduced as a measure to fight growing incidence of female foeticide in the country.

The device ‘Silent Observer’ (SIOB) would also provide law enforcing agencies with analytical reports for further action warranted under the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention) Act (PC and PNDT), according to Sunil Umrani, Managing Director, VisionIndia Software Exports, which has made the device.

“In spite of PC and PNDT act being in place for more than 15 years, the female child sex ratio is on the decline due to lack of effective implementation of its provisions. Mobile scanning machines, under reporting, no storage of ultra sonography test reports are some of the reasons for the malady,” he told reporters here.

The ‘Silent Observer’ is an embedded device specifically designed and implemented to address the issue of sex-selective abortion or female foeticide and records the entire activity of the sonography tests done and can also be used as evidence if needed, claims the solution introduced by the company.

F-form has to be mandatorily filled by each pregnant woman and submitted to district health authorities for each sonography procedure. In the SIOB solution, this process has been made online with the device attached to sonography machine to monitor its use.