08/07/2021 - Government Policies | Mainstorming

IAS Parliament 3 years

KEY POINTS

· India has entered a demographic sweet spot, a greater proportion of young people will drive India’s economic growth and social progress.

· So, they must not only be healthy, knowledgeable and skilled but must also be provided with the rights and choices to develop to their fullest potential, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

· Total Fertility Rate remains higher than the national average of 2.2 children among women who live in rural areas, have little formal education.

· The empowerment to make choices leads to better health outcomes, such as knowing how to prevent unintended pregnancy or giving birth with the help of a skilled birth attendant.

· Two million adolescent girls (15-19 years) each year had a pregnancy, and of these, nearly 63% were unwanted or unintended.

· This points to inadequate information and access to SRH services for this age group. In girls aged 15-19 years, 22.2% had an unmet need for contraception, according to NFHS-4.

· Girls are still marrying too young 26.8% of women aged 20-24 years are married before they turn 18.

· India has slipped 28 places to rank 140th among 156 countries, third-worst performer in South Asia in The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report (2021).

· If young people, and adolescent girls in particular, have access to education, relevant skills, information and services to make healthy choices, then India will be on a clear path to achieve its goals.