Over 3000 maternal deaths in past five years in Karnataka: CMO
Bengaluru, Dec 9: There have been over 3,350 maternal deaths in the last five years in Karnataka, the Chief Minister's Office said on Monday. The fatalities have been on the decline during this period, according to data issued by the government.
The CMO's releasing the data comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding the recent maternal deaths in the state's Ballari district.
The total number of maternal deaths in the past five years stands at 3,364. An analysis of the data reveals the highest number of maternal deaths occurred during Covid-19 when the BJP was in power.
In 2019-2020, 662 maternal deaths were reported, with the number rising slightly to 714 the following year. However, the figures have since dropped, with 595 deaths recorded in 2021-2022, 527 in 2022-2023, and 518 in 2023-2024.
As of November 2024, the number of maternal deaths in the state stands at 348. Karnataka's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) during this period stands at 64 per one lakh live births, according to the data.
On Sunday, the Karnataka government established a four-member panel to investigate the maternal deaths at Ballari Hospital and other locations across the state.
Since November, the total number of maternal deaths in Ballari has reached five.
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Gujarat to amend marriage registration rules, cites 'misuse' of existing norms
Gandhinagar (PTI): The Gujarat government on Friday announced it plans to amend rules framed under the Gujarat Registration of Marriages Act, saying the move is aimed at plugging loopholes in the existing system.
Speaking in the assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi stressed the need for new norms, alleging that “innocent girls are being trapped” and such practices were spreading “like termites” in society.
He said several people and social organisations had urged the government to amend the marriage registration rules to prevent misuse of procedural gaps.
Referring to what he termed “love jihad”, Sanghavi said it amounted to a “cultural invasion” and asserted that the BJP government could no longer ignore the issue. He said the amendments are aimed at strengthening safeguards in the registration process.
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He said objections and suggestions on the proposed amendments are now invited from the public for 30 days.
“People and organisations can register their suggestions and objections on the Health and Family Welfare Department’s website. The new rules will be implemented after considering these suggestions and objections received by the department,” he said.
Later, the minister’s office shared a document detailing the proposed procedure for marriage registration under the amended rules.
As per the proposed rules, every marriage registration application will need to be submitted before the Assistant Registrar, while applicants must attach a declaration stating whether the bride and groom have informed their parents about the marriage.
Moreover, the bride and groom will have to provide the names, addresses, Aadhaar and contact details of their parents in the application.
The parents of the bride and groom will be informed within ten working days as soon as the Assistant Registrar is satisfied, according to the proposed rules.
The Assistant Registrar will forward the application to the Registrar of the district or taluka concerned. The marriage will be registered 30 days after the Registrar is satisfied that the requirements specified in sub-rules have been met.
The Registrar will upload all these details to an online portal to be created by the government, say the proposed rules.
AAP MLA Hemant Ahir, who had on Thursday introduced a private member's Bill in this regard, and BJP MLA Lavingji Thakor congratulated the deputy CM in the House, saying the proposed changes were the need of the hour.
They said innocent girls were being lured by anti-social elements who exploited loopholes in the existing system to solemnise and register marriages.
