Question : Advertisements Pertaining to Prenatal Sex Determination

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the online search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are under an obligation to check advertisement pertaining to prenatal sex determination content and the Supreme Court has directed them to develop in-house methods to prohibit such content for better implementation of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether there is need to develop a technique called “auto block” which prohibits advertisements on sex determination, if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken in this direction;

(c) whether the Hon’ble Supreme Court has also directed the Government to appoint nodal agency to monitor websites to prohibit such advertisements and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the steps taken by the Government to constitute a nodal agency for screening the advertisements on TV, radio and in Newspaper; and

(e) whether there is a need to take steps to see that the law of the land was complied with view of decreasing sex ratio, if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)
(a): Search engines are under obligation to check advertisement and have assumed a participative role in complying with section 22 of PC&PNDT Act.
Supreme Court vide order dated 19.09.2016 directed the search engines to develop in-house method to auto block the contents violative of section 22 of PC&PNDT Act.
(b): Hon’ble Supreme court vide its order dated 19.09.2016 directed the search engines to develop in house method/procedure for auto blocking the contents violative of section 22 of the PC&PNDT Act. A list of objectionable words was also provided and same were to be put on auto block by search engines.
Contd….

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Further, in compliance of the order passed by the Hon’ble Supreme court, in house experts have been appointed by the search engines to check the violation of section 22. Further, the search engines shall not sponsor any advertisement as provided under section 22 of the Act.
(c): Hon’ble Supreme court in Writ Petition No 341 of 2008 vide order dated 16.11.2016 directed the Union Of India to constitute a Nodal Agency and give advertisement in the newspaper and TV and Radio that it has been created in pursuance of Hon’ble Court’s order and anyone who comes across anything that has the nature of an advertisement or any impact in identifying a boy or a girl in any method, manner or mode by any search engine shall be brought to its notice.
In compliance of the Court''s directive, this Ministry has set-up a single point contact for the Nodal Agency to receive the complaints on violation of Section 22 of PC & PNDT Act, 1994. Details of the Nodal Agency are Contact e-mail address for nodal agency: [email protected]
(d): Nodal agency has been constituted and is operational. Public Notices for creating awareness on Nodal Agency were issued in various news papers , TV Channels and Radio calling upon the Public to report on any violation under section 22 of the PC&PNDT Act to the Nodal Agency so that appropriate action is taken.
(e): Nodal agency constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court is ensuring the compliance of the law by informing the violation to the concerned search engines who are obliged to rectify and report to the Nodal Officer within 36 Hours of the receipt of the information from Nodal Agency in compliance of the order of Hon’ble Supreme court Further, Nodal officer appointed in the State/UTs under the Act are also entitled to communicate with the search engines for the compliance of PC&PNDT Act.
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