2G scam: Behura pins blame on predecessor & Raja

NEW DELHI: Former telecom secretary Sidharth Behura, accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, on Wednesday accused his predecessor A K Srivastava of "defending the policy" framed by the then telecom minister A Raja before a special CBI court.

Special CBI judge O P Saini also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on a journalist for seeking a direction for CBI to make some telecom companies like Videocon-owned Datacom, S-Tel, Aircel and Maxis as accused in the 2G case.

During the hearing, Behura's counsel Aman Lekhi accused Srivastava, who has been portrayed as a star witness by CBI, of having a larger role in the scam and said Behura was appointed telecom secretary after the decision on policy pertaining to spectrum allocation had been taken.

Arguing on the bail plea. Lekhi said, "It is a paradox of this case that Srivastava, who should be made accused, has been made a star witness." He also accused Raja of making changes in the opinion given by the then solicitor general G E Vahanvati.

Putting the entire blame on Raja for the multi-crore 2G scam, Behura told the court that he could not be held responsible for implementing the government policy. "The prime minister was in the picture, ministry of finance and law ministry were in the picture over the telecom policy and he was not a lone ranger," Lekhi said while pressing for bail.

"If others in the government or the Cabinet are not held responsible, how can a civil servant be made an accused? Raja continued in the Cabinet, which shows he retained the confidence of the prime minister and others," he argued.

Deferring the matter for further arguments for Thursday, judge Saini slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on a journalist for seeking a direction for CBI to make some more telecom companies accused in the 2G case.

The court warned a warrant would be issued against Mumbai-based journalist Bharat Bhushan Naudial on his failure to deposit the fine within three days. In his plea, the scribe had alleged that some telecom companies were ineligible for the 2G licence and rules were flouted to favour them.

2G scam: Behura pins blame on predecessor & Raja

NEW DELHI: Former telecom secretary Sidharth Behura, accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, on Wednesday accused his predecessor A K Srivastava of "defending the policy" framed by the then telecom minister A Raja before a special CBI court.

Special CBI judge O P Saini also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on a journalist for seeking a direction for CBI to make some telecom companies like Videocon-owned Datacom, S-Tel, Aircel and Maxis as accused in the 2G case.

During the hearing, Behura's counsel Aman Lekhi accused Srivastava, who has been portrayed as a star witness by CBI, of having a larger role in the scam and said Behura was appointed telecom secretary after the decision on policy pertaining to spectrum allocation had been taken.

Arguing on the bail plea. Lekhi said, "It is a paradox of this case that Srivastava, who should be made accused, has been made a star witness." He also accused Raja of making changes in the opinion given by the then solicitor general G E Vahanvati.

Putting the entire blame on Raja for the multi-crore 2G scam, Behura told the court that he could not be held responsible for implementing the government policy. "The prime minister was in the picture, ministry of finance and law ministry were in the picture over the telecom policy and he was not a lone ranger," Lekhi said while pressing for bail.

"If others in the government or the Cabinet are not held responsible, how can a civil servant be made an accused? Raja continued in the Cabinet, which shows he retained the confidence of the prime minister and others," he argued.

Deferring the matter for further arguments for Thursday, judge Saini slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on a journalist for seeking a direction for CBI to make some more telecom companies accused in the 2G case.

The court warned a warrant would be issued against Mumbai-based journalist Bharat Bhushan Naudial on his failure to deposit the fine within three days. In his plea, the scribe had alleged that some telecom companies were ineligible for the 2G licence and rules were flouted to favour them.

There's more to judges than merely hearing cases

NEW DELHI: If the UPA government has set up Group of Ministers (GoMs) for every governance issue, then the Supreme Court is not far behind with 27 Group of Judges (GoJs) committees overseeing all manner of non-judicial work in the apex court.

If you thought the judges only hear and decide on an average 50-odd criminal, civil and service related cases daily, then you will be surprised to find that the GoJs supervise building construction to electrical works to replacement of old furniture. Of the 29 judges in SC, including the CJI, only 14 are part of the 27 GoJ committees.

Chief Justice S H Kapadia heads five committees -- building and purchase, library, Law Reporting Council, identifying pending cases in high courts which need to be heard on priority basis and the e-committee to maximise use of information technology in judiciary.

In contrast, senior-most judge of SC Justice Altamas Kabir is part of 14 committees and heads 10 of them. He heads the committee that advises the CJI on steps and decisions to be taken towards construction of building on 12.19 acres at Pragati Maidan, which was allotted to SC after the expiry of lease to Appu Ghar amusement park.

Committees headed by Justice Alam include one to propose revised and workable formula to increase strength of judges of HCs and lower courts, another on security, selection of law clerks for judges and one set up for selection of all items (furniture, electrical etc) proposed to be purchased by the Registry.

Justice R V Raveendran, the second senior-most judge, is part of five committees and heads one. In comparison, the next in line of seniority, Justice Dalveer Bhandari is part of 13 committees and heads six of them.

Justice Bhandari heads the committee that approves allotment of lawyers chambers, a much sought after commodity in the Supreme Court given the ever increasing number of advocates and paucity of chambers. He also presides over GoJs looking into accreditation of journalists and purchase of furniture and electrical appliances for judges' chambers and residential offices.

Justice D K Jain is part of five GoJ committees, Justices P Sathasivam and R M Lodha are part of four each, Justices V S Sirpurkar, Markandey Katju and H L Dattu two each, and Justices B Sudershan Reddy, G S Singhvi, Aftab Alam and Cyriac Joseph are part of one GoJ committee each.

If this was not enough, the Supreme Court also has 10 committees of officers to look into a host of departmental issues, from promotions to opening of tenders.

CIC asks CBI to produce records on Quattrocchi

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) rejected the CBI's plea and asked it to produce before it all the records related to Bofors case accused Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

A full bench of the CIC was of the view that all records related to the two-decade old case should be summoned but it was felt that since these records may run into tens of thousands of pages, only those, where disclosure was objected to by the CBI would be produced for perusal of the Commission.

The bench, comprising chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra and information commissioners Annapurna Dixit and Deepak Sandhu, said the commission after perusal of the documents would decide which of them can be made public.

The rest of the documents, where CBI has no objection from disclosure, would be provided to RTI applicant Ajay Agrawal, the bench of the transparency panel held.

The CBI had earlier sought adjournment of the proceedings as the official dealing with the RTI application was not present but this request was rejected by the panel which said notice was given well in advance and CIC was working hard to cut down on pendency.

In his RTI application, Agrawal had sought to get from the CBI documents related to the case against Quattrocchi, correspondence exchanged with British authorities on defreezing of his accounts, opinions of agency sleuths and law officers on his extradition among others.

There's more to judges than merely hearing cases

NEW DELHI: If the UPA government has set up Group of Ministers (GoMs) for every governance issue, then the Supreme Court is not far behind with 27 Group of Judges (GoJs) committees overseeing all manner of non-judicial work in the apex court.

If you thought the judges only hear and decide on an average 50-odd criminal, civil and service related cases daily, then you will be surprised to find that the GoJs supervise building construction to electrical works to replacement of old furniture. Of the 29 judges in SC, including the CJI, only 14 are part of the 27 GoJ committees.

Chief Justice S H Kapadia heads five committees -- building and purchase, library, Law Reporting Council, identifying pending cases in high courts which need to be heard on priority basis and the e-committee to maximise use of information technology in judiciary.

In contrast, senior-most judge of SC Justice Altamas Kabir is part of 14 committees and heads 10 of them. He heads the committee that advises the CJI on steps and decisions to be taken towards construction of building on 12.19 acres at Pragati Maidan, which was allotted to SC after the expiry of lease to Appu Ghar amusement park.

Committees headed by Justice Alam include one to propose revised and workable formula to increase strength of judges of HCs and lower courts, another on security, selection of law clerks for judges and one set up for selection of all items (furniture, electrical etc) proposed to be purchased by the Registry.

Justice R V Raveendran, the second senior-most judge, is part of five committees and heads one. In comparison, the next in line of seniority, Justice Dalveer Bhandari is part of 13 committees and heads six of them.

Justice Bhandari heads the committee that approves allotment of lawyers chambers, a much sought after commodity in the Supreme Court given the ever increasing number of advocates and paucity of chambers. He also presides over GoJs looking into accreditation of journalists and purchase of furniture and electrical appliances for judges' chambers and residential offices.

Justice D K Jain is part of five GoJ committees, Justices P Sathasivam and R M Lodha are part of four each, Justices V S Sirpurkar, Markandey Katju and H L Dattu two each, and Justices B Sudershan Reddy, G S Singhvi, Aftab Alam and Cyriac Joseph are part of one GoJ committee each.

If this was not enough, the Supreme Court also has 10 committees of officers to look into a host of departmental issues, from promotions to opening of tenders.

CIC asks CBI to produce records on Quattrocchi

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) rejected the CBI's plea and asked it to produce before it all the records related to Bofors case accused Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

A full bench of the CIC was of the view that all records related to the two-decade old case should be summoned but it was felt that since these records may run into tens of thousands of pages, only those, where disclosure was objected to by the CBI would be produced for perusal of the Commission.

The bench, comprising chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra and information commissioners Annapurna Dixit and Deepak Sandhu, said the commission after perusal of the documents would decide which of them can be made public.

The rest of the documents, where CBI has no objection from disclosure, would be provided to RTI applicant Ajay Agrawal, the bench of the transparency panel held.

The CBI had earlier sought adjournment of the proceedings as the official dealing with the RTI application was not present but this request was rejected by the panel which said notice was given well in advance and CIC was working hard to cut down on pendency.

In his RTI application, Agrawal had sought to get from the CBI documents related to the case against Quattrocchi, correspondence exchanged with British authorities on defreezing of his accounts, opinions of agency sleuths and law officers on his extradition among others.

Within days of Bengal win, PCC chief faces revolt

NEW DELHI: The big victory for Congress in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is turning sour for the party. Strong dissidence within the state Congress unit is building up against PCC chief Manas Bhunia, barely a week since the new government took over ousting the 34-year-old Left Front.

The dissidence is so strong that senior state leaders are apprehensive about a section of Congress MLAs leaving to join TMC in the lure of posts according to party sources. Improving the party's tally from 21 in 2006 to 42 in 2011 seems to be costing Congress high.

The split in Congress suits Mamata perfectly. She herself had come out of the party and would like to strengthen it further at the cost of Congress. The last split in the Bengal Congress was in 1998, when a big chunk crossed over to TMC.

Bhunia arrived in Delhi on Wednesday to finalise the list of five MLAs who would be ministers of state in Bengal. But dissidents say that Bhunia will also get approval of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for continuing as state party president even though he joined as a cabinet minister from Congress in Mamata's team.

According to senior state Congress leaders, nobody was consulted about the names that were shortlisted for posts of ministers of state, just as there was no discussion about who should be CLP leader. Central leader A K Antony announced the name of Abu Hena soon after addressing the MLAs at the PCC headquarters in Kolkata on May 19. Hena is the only other minister from the party in Mamata's cabinet.

"This goes against the 'one man, one post' concept in the party which could have been ignored only in cases of leaders like Pranab Mukherjee or Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who have a national stature," a senior Congress leader told TOI. "Bhunia's case is not the same. He wants to keep everything for himself," the leader said, adding that, "Pranabda used to run the PCC with a core committee which included most of the senior leaders here."

Senior leaders in the state like Pradip Bhattacharya, D P Roy, Abdul Mannan, Rabindranath Chatterjee, Ajay Deb, Gyan Singh Sohanpal, Kazi Abdul Gaffar, Mohd Sohrab, Sabina Yasmin and Sankar Singh, are feeling ignored, not just because they have not got any post but because they have not been consulted on any decision, it is learnt.

The only other leaders who could have fought for the rest of the party in the state are Adhir Choudhury and Deepa Dasmunsi, who are lying low since they had apparently backed rebel candidates in their constituencies for the polls.

"On May 19, Anthony adressed MLAs and after a while announced the name of Hena as the CLP leader, unlike central observers who usually talk to MLAs in-camera and take a call," complained a Congress leader.

While some state leaders are reaching Delhi to speak to Mukherjee, party sources say the Congress high command goes by whatever Mukherjee has to say and it is not easy for the state leaders to get access to the central leadership.

Within days of Bengal win, PCC chief faces revolt

NEW DELHI: The big victory for Congress in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is turning sour for the party. Strong dissidence within the state Congress unit is building up against PCC chief Manas Bhunia, barely a week since the new government took over ousting the 34-year-old Left Front.

The dissidence is so strong that senior state leaders are apprehensive about a section of Congress MLAs leaving to join TMC in the lure of posts according to party sources. Improving the party's tally from 21 in 2006 to 42 in 2011 seems to be costing Congress high.

The split in Congress suits Mamata perfectly. She herself had come out of the party and would like to strengthen it further at the cost of Congress. The last split in the Bengal Congress was in 1998, when a big chunk crossed over to TMC.

Bhunia arrived in Delhi on Wednesday to finalise the list of five MLAs who would be ministers of state in Bengal. But dissidents say that Bhunia will also get approval of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for continuing as state party president even though he joined as a cabinet minister from Congress in Mamata's team.

According to senior state Congress leaders, nobody was consulted about the names that were shortlisted for posts of ministers of state, just as there was no discussion about who should be CLP leader. Central leader A K Antony announced the name of Abu Hena soon after addressing the MLAs at the PCC headquarters in Kolkata on May 19. Hena is the only other minister from the party in Mamata's cabinet.

"This goes against the 'one man, one post' concept in the party which could have been ignored only in cases of leaders like Pranab Mukherjee or Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who have a national stature," a senior Congress leader told TOI. "Bhunia's case is not the same. He wants to keep everything for himself," the leader said, adding that, "Pranabda used to run the PCC with a core committee which included most of the senior leaders here."

Senior leaders in the state like Pradip Bhattacharya, D P Roy, Abdul Mannan, Rabindranath Chatterjee, Ajay Deb, Gyan Singh Sohanpal, Kazi Abdul Gaffar, Mohd Sohrab, Sabina Yasmin and Sankar Singh, are feeling ignored, not just because they have not got any post but because they have not been consulted on any decision, it is learnt.

The only other leaders who could have fought for the rest of the party in the state are Adhir Choudhury and Deepa Dasmunsi, who are lying low since they had apparently backed rebel candidates in their constituencies for the polls.

"On May 19, Anthony adressed MLAs and after a while announced the name of Hena as the CLP leader, unlike central observers who usually talk to MLAs in-camera and take a call," complained a Congress leader.

While some state leaders are reaching Delhi to speak to Mukherjee, party sources say the Congress high command goes by whatever Mukherjee has to say and it is not easy for the state leaders to get access to the central leadership.

Bhatt's questioning suspended for now

AHMEDABAD: After three days the Nanavati-Mehta commission probing the Godhra riots, stalled Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's cross-examination when objections were raised on the fact that whatever he had said as a witness, was not on oath and hence it was invalid as evidence.

Bhatt was in the middle of questioning by the state government in connection with his affidavit filed before the Supreme Court which said that he heard the chief minister asking top officials to allow Hindus to vent their anger in a meeting on February 27, 2002.

Senior counsel appearing for Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, KG Vakharia demanded immediate stalling of Bhatt's cross-examination on the ground that the commission did not take an oath from him before his deposition. The lawyer argued that the probe panel can summon a witness or an informer under Sections 4 and 5 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, and if the person is a witness, he has to take oath as per the law.

The Jamiat contended that since Bhatt did not take oath, he ceases to be a witness and whatever is recorded during his cross-examination should be removed from the commission's record. Bhatt has not even filed an affidavit before the commission, which is a statement on oath. His affidavit before the SC cannot be considered as testimony on oath before the commission and hence he cannot be questioned on it.

The Jamiat requested the commission not to permit any further cross-examination of Bhatt. This application irked the commission and one of the judges told lawyers present in courtroom that after all the parties had taken benefit of the proceedings, at the fag end this organization was moving this objection.

Bhatt also moved another application requesting the commission not to permit anybody to cross-examine him citing pendency of his affidavit before the SC. Bhatt has also argued that he was neither being examined by the commission under Section 4(a) of the Act, nor is the commission receiving evidence in the form of affidavit from him under Section 4(c) of the Act.

Bhatt's questioning suspended for now

AHMEDABAD: After three days the Nanavati-Mehta commission probing the Godhra riots, stalled Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's cross-examination when objections were raised on the fact that whatever he had said as a witness, was not on oath and hence it was invalid as evidence.

Bhatt was in the middle of questioning by the state government in connection with his affidavit filed before the Supreme Court which said that he heard the chief minister asking top officials to allow Hindus to vent their anger in a meeting on February 27, 2002.

Senior counsel appearing for Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, KG Vakharia demanded immediate stalling of Bhatt's cross-examination on the ground that the commission did not take an oath from him before his deposition. The lawyer argued that the probe panel can summon a witness or an informer under Sections 4 and 5 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, and if the person is a witness, he has to take oath as per the law.

The Jamiat contended that since Bhatt did not take oath, he ceases to be a witness and whatever is recorded during his cross-examination should be removed from the commission's record. Bhatt has not even filed an affidavit before the commission, which is a statement on oath. His affidavit before the SC cannot be considered as testimony on oath before the commission and hence he cannot be questioned on it.

The Jamiat requested the commission not to permit any further cross-examination of Bhatt. This application irked the commission and one of the judges told lawyers present in courtroom that after all the parties had taken benefit of the proceedings, at the fag end this organization was moving this objection.

Bhatt also moved another application requesting the commission not to permit anybody to cross-examine him citing pendency of his affidavit before the SC. Bhatt has also argued that he was neither being examined by the commission under Section 4(a) of the Act, nor is the commission receiving evidence in the form of affidavit from him under Section 4(c) of the Act.

Siachen talks to resume after 3-year gap

NEW DELHI: India is unlikely to budge from its long-standing position that Pakistan should provide ironclad guarantees for "authentication" of the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Saltoro Ridge-Siachen region in the defence secretary-level talks next week.

Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar will lead the Indian delegation for the two-day talks to be held in New Delhi on May 30 and 31, which will mark the resumption of the Siachen talks after a gap of three years. PM Manmohan Singh, ever since he visited the glacial heights in June 2005, has himself been keen to convert Siachen into "a mountain of peace".

But the sticking point in the protracted negotiations spread over a dozen rounds of talks has been the authentication of the AGPL beyond the NJ-9842 grid reference point, where the well-delineated Line of Control simply stopped dead in the 1972 Simla Pact, right till the Karakoram Pass.

Indian officials say resolving the military face-off in the world's highest, coldest and costliest battlefield is "doable", especially since a draft agreement on the festering imbroglio was reached even in 1989. Moreover, both sides have long accepted the need to demilitarize the glacial heights, with soldiers deployed at heights ranging from 16,000 to 22,000 feet in extreme weather and terrain.

India, however, wants proper guarantees for the AGPL authentication, both on the maps and the ground, because its troops occupy most of the "dominating" posts on the Saltoro Ridge before there is troop disengagement, withdrawal and the final demilitarization of the glacier.

Pakistan, in turn, has earlier demanded that the pre-1972 troop positions be recognized since it feels India "violated" the Simla Agreement by occupying the heights in 1984. Later, there were indications that Pakistan was gradually moving towards accepting some sort of a mechanism to authenticate relative troop positions before the 26/11 terror strikes derailed any probable solution in the works.

India, of course, has stopped bleeding like it used to in the earlier years after it pre-empted Pakistan's "Operation Ababeel" to occupy the heights in April 1984 by just one day with its own "Operation Meghdoot".

Siachen talks to resume after 3-year gap

NEW DELHI: India is unlikely to budge from its long-standing position that Pakistan should provide ironclad guarantees for "authentication" of the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Saltoro Ridge-Siachen region in the defence secretary-level talks next week.

Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar will lead the Indian delegation for the two-day talks to be held in New Delhi on May 30 and 31, which will mark the resumption of the Siachen talks after a gap of three years. PM Manmohan Singh, ever since he visited the glacial heights in June 2005, has himself been keen to convert Siachen into "a mountain of peace".

But the sticking point in the protracted negotiations spread over a dozen rounds of talks has been the authentication of the AGPL beyond the NJ-9842 grid reference point, where the well-delineated Line of Control simply stopped dead in the 1972 Simla Pact, right till the Karakoram Pass.

Indian officials say resolving the military face-off in the world's highest, coldest and costliest battlefield is "doable", especially since a draft agreement on the festering imbroglio was reached even in 1989. Moreover, both sides have long accepted the need to demilitarize the glacial heights, with soldiers deployed at heights ranging from 16,000 to 22,000 feet in extreme weather and terrain.

India, however, wants proper guarantees for the AGPL authentication, both on the maps and the ground, because its troops occupy most of the "dominating" posts on the Saltoro Ridge before there is troop disengagement, withdrawal and the final demilitarization of the glacier.

Pakistan, in turn, has earlier demanded that the pre-1972 troop positions be recognized since it feels India "violated" the Simla Agreement by occupying the heights in 1984. Later, there were indications that Pakistan was gradually moving towards accepting some sort of a mechanism to authenticate relative troop positions before the 26/11 terror strikes derailed any probable solution in the works.

India, of course, has stopped bleeding like it used to in the earlier years after it pre-empted Pakistan's "Operation Ababeel" to occupy the heights in April 1984 by just one day with its own "Operation Meghdoot".

Rohtak announces 1 lakh award for sex test tip-offs

NEW DELHI: The district administration in Rohtak on Wednesday announced a Rs one lakh award in cash to informers, who would help the Haryana government to alert about errant ultrasound clinics, engaged in determining of sex of fetuses.

On Tuesday, a study carried out by an international medical journal revealed how selective abortion has led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to the age of six years.

Haryana has a dubious record of skewed sex ratio in the country. Though it has improved its record in the past decade, the figure is still below par. "We will not disclose the name of the informer since the objective is to stop such practices. The informer will get the reward after the credibility of the information is established. It will not be subject to conviction of the accused," Rohtak deputy commissioner Vikas Gupta told TOI.

Gupta is also the chairman of the PNDT Act committee in the district. The panel members would conduct raids on ultrasound clinics engaged in determination of sex, and cases will be registered against such clinics.

"These committees have been set up in every district as per a government order. The committee has members including the chief medical officer, ICDS programme officer, two prominent personalities and advocates. The objective is to ensure that those caught involved in this crime are convicted," Gupta said.

The study by the international journal has found that in the last 30 years, 4-12 million girls were aborted because of their sex.

A spokesperson of Haryana government said several steps were taken in the past decade to improve the sex ratio in the state.

According to the Census 2011, Haryana has reported a rise in the sex ratio to 877 females per 1,000 males in comparison to 861 females per 1,000 males in 2001. Though since the first Census (1901) this is the most significant improvement, Haryana still ranks lowest among all the 28 states on the sex-ratio front.

Rohtak announces 1 lakh award for sex test tip-offs

NEW DELHI: The district administration in Rohtak on Wednesday announced a Rs one lakh award in cash to informers, who would help the Haryana government to alert about errant ultrasound clinics, engaged in determining of sex of fetuses.

On Tuesday, a study carried out by an international medical journal revealed how selective abortion has led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to the age of six years.

Haryana has a dubious record of skewed sex ratio in the country. Though it has improved its record in the past decade, the figure is still below par. "We will not disclose the name of the informer since the objective is to stop such practices. The informer will get the reward after the credibility of the information is established. It will not be subject to conviction of the accused," Rohtak deputy commissioner Vikas Gupta told TOI.

Gupta is also the chairman of the PNDT Act committee in the district. The panel members would conduct raids on ultrasound clinics engaged in determination of sex, and cases will be registered against such clinics.

"These committees have been set up in every district as per a government order. The committee has members including the chief medical officer, ICDS programme officer, two prominent personalities and advocates. The objective is to ensure that those caught involved in this crime are convicted," Gupta said.

The study by the international journal has found that in the last 30 years, 4-12 million girls were aborted because of their sex.

A spokesperson of Haryana government said several steps were taken in the past decade to improve the sex ratio in the state.

According to the Census 2011, Haryana has reported a rise in the sex ratio to 877 females per 1,000 males in comparison to 861 females per 1,000 males in 2001. Though since the first Census (1901) this is the most significant improvement, Haryana still ranks lowest among all the 28 states on the sex-ratio front.

Rohtak announces 1 lakh award for sex test tip-offs

NEW DELHI: The district administration in Rohtak on Wednesday announced a Rs one lakh award in cash to informers, who would help the Haryana government to alert about errant ultrasound clinics, engaged in determining of sex of fetuses.

On Tuesday, a study carried out by an international medical journal revealed how selective abortion has led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to the age of six years.

Haryana has a dubious record of skewed sex ratio in the country. Though it has improved its record in the past decade, the figure is still below par. "We will not disclose the name of the informer since the objective is to stop such practices. The informer will get the reward after the credibility of the information is established. It will not be subject to conviction of the accused," Rohtak deputy commissioner Vikas Gupta told TOI.

Gupta is also the chairman of the PNDT Act committee in the district. The panel members would conduct raids on ultrasound clinics engaged in determination of sex, and cases will be registered against such clinics.

"These committees have been set up in every district as per a government order. The committee has members including the chief medical officer, ICDS programme officer, two prominent personalities and advocates. The objective is to ensure that those caught involved in this crime are convicted," Gupta said.

The study by the international journal has found that in the last 30 years, 4-12 million girls were aborted because of their sex.

A spokesperson of Haryana government said several steps were taken in the past decade to improve the sex ratio in the state.

According to the Census 2011, Haryana has reported a rise in the sex ratio to 877 females per 1,000 males in comparison to 861 females per 1,000 males in 2001. Though since the first Census (1901) this is the most significant improvement, Haryana still ranks lowest among all the 28 states on the sex-ratio front.