Rajasthan govt’s gift to newlyweds: Contraceptives and vanity kits
As part of the Centre’s Mission Parivar Vikas programme to curb population growth, the Rajasthan government will distribute contraceptive packs to newlyweds in 14 districts which have high total fertility rate (TFR). Mission Parivar Vikas will cover 145 districts across seven states.
Newlyweds in 14 Rajasthan districts will soon get unusual gifts from the government: a pack of condoms, strips of oral contraceptive pills and a vanity kit as part of a programme to reduce total fertility rate.
Total fertility rate is the average number of children expected to be born per woman during her entire span of reproductive period. The government aims to keep it at 2.1 in these 14 districts where TFR is 3 or more.
Rajasthan’s reproductive and child health director Dr VK Mathur said the family planning kit would be distributed in these districts under the upcoming Mission Parivar Vikas to reduce TFR.
The kit will contain two packs of three condoms each, two strips of 28 oral contraceptive pills each, three units of one emergency contraceptive pill each and two pregnancy testing kits. The kit will also have a vanity pouch containing a pair of towel set, comb, nail cutter, a pack of bindis, two handkerchiefs and a small mirror. The kit will come in a jute bag.
The kit, state health department officials said, will also contain IEC – information, education and communication – material on delaying birth of first child and spacing other children, and on how to use pregnancy testing kit and whom to approach when pregnancy is confirmed.
Officials said accredited social health activists (ASHAs) will distribute the kits to newlyweds. The frontline health worker will be incentivised for this. “ASHAs will maintain records of kits received and distributed and submit it to auxiliary nursing midwife (ANM) at the nearest health sub centre,” officials said.
The union ministry of health and family welfare has identified 145 high focus districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam for this programme.
The 14 districts in Rajasthan where the programme will be implemented are Barmer and Dholpur (TFR 4 or more), Banswara, Karauli, Jalore, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur and Jalore (TFR between 3.5 to 3.9) and Dungarpur, Rajsamand, Jaisalmer, Pali, Sirohi, Baran and Bharatpur (TFR between 3 to 3.5).