The Delhi government is planning to impose “heavy” fine and tougher punishment on those involved in heinous practices such as sex determination in violation of the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994.

On the occasion of World Population Day on Monday, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said, “The government is mooting heavy fine and strict punishment for those involved in sex determination.”

She said the government would come down hard on those involved in this crime, adding that female foeticide was causing imbalance in the city’s gender ratio. Any ultrasound clinic can be closed down if it conducts pre-natal sex-determination test.

“We will have to intensify our efforts to save the girl child at any cost. Society will have to intensify campaign to make the ratio of girls and boys even,” Dikshit said. The CM had expressed the need for urgent measures to prevent female foeticide soon after the Census 2011 provisional data report was released in April.

As per Census data, the sex ratio of 866 in the capital is fourth lowest among all the states and Union territories. Daman and Diu has the lowest sex ratio of 618 females per 1000 males followed by 775 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 818 in Chandigarh.

Tuition fees for B.Tech and M.Tech courses at the National Institutes of Technology could be raised to Rs 50,000 a year from the 2012-13 academic year.

The council of the NITs, the body to decide such matters, today considered a proposal to hike fees from the Rs 35,000 the institutes charge at present. “The proposal is under consideration. The NIT council will take a decision in its next meeting in November,” a source said.

There are 30 NITs in the country. Earlier known as Regional Colleges of Engineering, these are seen as second-rung institutions after the IITs. They admit about 12,000 students at the B.Tech and M.Tech levels.

The IITs charge Rs 50,000 a year in fees. A committee under Anil Kakodkar had recently suggested raising the annual fees in IITs to Rs 2.25 lakh. The IIT council, the apex body to decide such matters, will consider the suggestion in its next meeting.

In the NITs, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students will continue to get fee exemption as before, the proposal said. Needy students will be given education loans without being asked to deposit any collateral security.

U.S. President Barack Obama today got a first hand account of how information technology (IT) has revolutionised life in rural India, and said this technology would help India directly leapfrog into the 21st century.

“India may be in a position to leapfrog, avoiding 20th century straightaway into the 21st century. I look forward to the day you will be a model for countries around the world,” he told villagers of Kanpura near Ajmer while interacting with them from Mumbai through video conference.

After a short introduction by National Knowledge Commission chairman Sam Pitroda, Mr Obama spoke to the villagers who shared the benefits of broadband penetration — from online medical consultation, education and local e—governance.

The President expressed happiness about the progress being made with the aid of IT.

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