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Guwahati, Feb 6 (IANS) Assam has recorded a much higher teenage pregnancy compared to the rest of the country, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.
Sharing data from the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal, Sarma said that at 16.8 per cent, the teenage pregnancy rate in Assam is quite alarming.
In 2022, there were 6,20,867 registered pregnant women in the state.
Data from the RCH portal shared by the Chief Minister showed that 1,04,264 of the pregnant women were 19-years-old, or younger.
The data was prepared by the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam.
M.S. Laxmi Priya, the MD of state NHM, told IANS: "We have prepared the data but I will not comment on anything on it."
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister claimed that the data has proved that his government's drive against child marriage is for public health and public welfare.
He wrote on Twitter: "We're resolved to continue this drive until we fulfil our objective. I urge the people to cooperate with us in controlling this harmful trend."
According to data from the RCH portal, the district of undivided Dhubri, which includes South Salmara, had the largest number of teenage pregnancies (14,438), followed by Nagaon (12,188) and Barpeta (11,658).
Goalpara (6,250), Kamrup (4,773), Darrang (4,584), Morigaon (4,254), and Cachar (4,049) are other districts with a high rate of teenage pregnancies in 2022.
Dima Hasao district logged the lowest teenage pregnancies last year at 431.
--IANS
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