Srinagar, Aug 04: The proportion of women aged 15-24 in Jammu and Kashmir using hygienic methods of menstrual protection rose to 82.5 per cent in the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023-24), overtaking the national average of 79.2 per cent, according to data cited by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The question was raised by MP Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha, who asked whether the government maintains State and UT-wise data on menstrual hygiene indicators among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women and girls. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel gave the reply, providing a caste-disaggregated breakdown from NFHS-5 (2019-21), in which J&K’s overall figure stood at 74.5 per cent, while also citing the more recent NFHS-6 national figure of 79.2 per cent.
For J&K, the NFHS-5 data placed 76.1 per cent of SC women and 51 per cent of ST women in the hygienic-methods category, a gap of 25.1 percentage points, among the widest recorded across states. Since then, the NFHS-6 fact sheet shows J&K’s overall figure across all women aged 15-24 climbing to 82.5 per cent, with usage at 95.5 per cent in urban areas and 79.3 per cent in rural areas, an improvement of 8 percentage points over NFHS-5.
The ministry said data was not available for six Union Territories, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, in the NFHS-5 caste breakdown. It added that menstrual hygiene management is being strengthened through the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme under the National Health Mission, in coordination with States and UTs, while data on water, sanitation and allied indicators is collected separately by the concerned ministries.
