Jammu and Kashmir has a lower fertility rate than any state in the country, barring tiny Goa and Sikkim, a central government survey has revealed.
The National Family Health Survey for 2019-21 shows there has been a sharp fall in the total fertility rate (TFR) - the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime - in J&K from 2.0 to 1.4, far below the national average of 2 since 2015-16, when the last such survey was conducted.
The national TFR has declined to 2.0 from the value of 2.2 found during the earlier NFHS of 2015-16. This is the first time India’s TFR has fallen below the so-called population replacement threshold of 2.1.
In comparison to J&K, Bihar has a TRF of 3, Uttar Pradesh 2.4, Jharkhand 2.3, Madhya Pradesh 2, Odisha 1.8, and Kerala 1.8.
Experts in J&K believe late marriages, rising obesity and knowledge of contraception as some of the reasons for low infertility.
“Unemployment, dowry, extravagant weddings and wait for government jobs are some of the main reasons for the disturbing trend of late marriage,” said Dr Farhat Jabeen, head of department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar.
She said the peak fertility of women is between 18 and 25 years, but nowadays most of the women get married either in their late 20s or early 30s, “by the time there is already a significant decline in their fertility.”
Dr Jyoti Haq, head of department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at GMC Jammu said that lack of knowledge about contraception and less awareness is one of the reasons for infertility in J&K.
However, Dr Saleem Ur Rehman, director-general, family welfare department, portrays the decline in the fertility rate as a rare success. “Our family welfare programme has been a success in J&K,” he said.
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