PDP’s Waheed Para Tables Bill to Address J&K’s Declining Fertility Rate
· India · Indian Express
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Para has tabled a Bill in the ongoing Monsoon Session to address Jammu and Kashmir’s declining fertility rate. The Bill cites the National Family Health Survey-5, which reports the region’s fertility rate at 1.4 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. Named 'Ma-Beti aur Aane Wali Naslein Bachao Bill', it aims to curb sex-selective practices and protect future generations from demographic decline. Para described the situation as an 'extinction of time', citing late marriages, financial pressures, and rising infertility as key factors. The Bill also highlights over 70,000 cancer cases and widespread PTSD as compounding health crises.
Why it matters
The sustained low fertility rate threatens J&K’s future population structure, labour force, and cultural continuity, with far-reaching social and economic consequences.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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