According to Prof Ram, there is another equally important aspect that needs to be understood: women find it convenient to avoid experiencing strenuous long hours of labour pain since the C-section technology is easily available and affordable to most. “It is also important to note that the family size in India has reduced substantially and the couple can afford to spend for C-sections for one or two deliveries, unlike previous times, without fear of any medical complications in the subsequent deliveries,” said Prof Ram.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently released the first set of findings from the fifth and latest round of NFHS conducted in 2019-20 . The first set of findings has been released for only 22 states and union territories and includes the large states of Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal. Data from Uttar Pradesh is not included.