India, July 21 -- Maharashtra will frame a statewide standard operating procedure (SOP) for coordinated action by police and health departments to strengthen enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Legislative Council member Dr Neelam Gorhe in Pune on Monday, attended by senior police, health and revenue officials from Pune, Satara, Sangli and Solapur districts. Officials reviewed pending cases, conviction rates and implementation gaps amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal sex determination and abortion rackets in western Maharashtra.

Gorhe said a uniform SOP was needed across the...