EVERY five minutes, a woman dies in India while delivering a child, a recent report said. The report released by Centre for Reproductive Rights said that the maternal mortality in the country is 301 per one lakh live births.

The report said, “Every five minutes, roughly one maternal death occurs in India.”

UN special rapporteur on health Anand Grover said that in most cases, such deaths “are avoidable” and called for empowerment of women at the grass-roots level. Maternal mortality rate in India has become unacceptable, which in most cases are avoidable. We, instead of empowering the civil society, must work of empowerment of women at the grass-roots level,” he said.

Legal adviser of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, New York, Melisa Upreti said “It is a matter of shame for the government of India which has failed to provide basic nutrition and health care for women.” Zameen Kaur of Human Right Law Network claimed that out of the total maternal deaths, 25 per cent are from the Dalit community in the country.

— The Asian Age, August 02