Family planning: 145 districts to be targeted under new plan

NEW DELHI: To accelerate access to high quality family planning choices, the Centre will soon launch a mission focusing on 145 districts across seven states of the country which have high fertility rates.

The Union Health Ministry will launch 'Mission Parivar Vikas' in these districts of seven states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam which have high Total Fertility Rates (TFR) and constitute nearly 50 per cent of the country's population.

"Health Ministry will soon launch 'Mission Parivar Vikas' in 145 high focus districts having the highest total fertility rates in the country," an official statement said.

Health Minister J P Nadda had earlier stressed the need for micro-planning in more than 100 districts to reach the targeted Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and achieve the goal of population stabilisation.

TFR is the average number of children expected to be born per woman during her entire span of reproductive period and India has a TFR target of 2.1 per cent.

It said the main objective of the mission will be to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework.

The 145 districts have been identified based on total fertility rate and service delivery (PPIUCD and Sterilisation performance) for immediate, special and accelerated efforts to reach the replacement level fertility goals of 2.1 by 2025.