PDP's Waheed Para Tables Bill on J&K's Declining Fertility Rate
PDP legislator Waheed Para has submitted a Bill in the ongoing Monsoon Session addressing Jammu and Kashmir's below-replacement fertility rate of 1.4, proposing non-coercive reproductive health measures.
Peoples Democratic Party legislator Waheed Para has submitted a private member's Bill in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature, seeking to address the long-term consequences of sustained below-replacement fertility through voluntary, rights-based and non-coercive measures.
The proposed legislation, titled 'Ma-Beti aur Aane Wali Naslein Bachao Bill', cites National Family Health Survey-5 data showing Jammu and Kashmir's total fertility rate at approximately 1.4 children per woman — well below the conventional replacement level of 2.1. The Bill also seeks stronger enforcement against sex selection and sex-selective practices in the region.
Speaking about the motivation behind the Bill, Para described the demographic situation in stark terms, stating that Jammu and Kashmir's fertility rate has collapsed to among the lowest in India, and that the national average of 1.9 itself sits below replacement level. He attributed the decline to a combination of factors including late marriages, voluntary bachelorhood, rising divorce, financial pressure and infertility, alongside what he described as a heavy burden of cancer cases and PTSD-related mental health admissions.
The Bill argues that falling fertility is not merely a demographic statistic but carries implications for the future age structure of society, intergenerational support systems, rural communities, labour-force availability, social security and the sustainability of families and communities.
A significant focus of the proposed framework is reproductive and menstrual health. The Bill notes that many adolescent girls manage menstrual health in silence due to lack of access to sanitary products, inadequate sanitation facilities, absence of private changing spaces, stigma and insufficient health education — factors that can lead to school absenteeism, reduced educational participation and avoidable health problems.
It also draws attention to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, menstrual irregularities, anaemia and nutritional deficiencies, calling for early awareness, screening, counselling and appropriate medical referral. Para emphasised that girls should not be compelled to abandon education because of menstruation, marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, poverty, disability or family circumstances.
The Bill seeks to establish a comprehensive statutory framework covering reproductive-health awareness and healthcare, menstrual hygiene and dignity, free sanitary products in educational institutions and public healthcare facilities, and early intervention for PCOS, menstrual disorders and anaemia. It also proposes age-appropriate reproductive and child-health education, support for girls to continue education up to the age of thirty, maternal and child healthcare, financial and educational support for families raising children, and protection of the dignity, privacy, autonomy and reproductive rights of women.
Para clarified that the purpose of the legislation is not to compel any woman to marry, conceive or bear a particular number of children, but to remove the economic, educational, healthcare and social barriers that may prevent women and couples from making free and informed choices regarding marriage, family formation and parenthood. The Bill states that the State has a legitimate interest in ensuring that every girl and young woman has a meaningful opportunity, and must create an enabling environment for voluntary and informed reproductive choices without coercion, discrimination or economic compulsion.