Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has called for stronger maternity benefits for women working in India’s unorganised sector, citing a sharp decline in exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants under six months.
In a post on X, Tharoor addressed Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, highlighting figures from the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6). He pointed out that while institutional deliveries in India have increased to 90.6%, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among children below six months has fallen from 63.7% to 55.8%.
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Tharoor described the decline as a worrying trend and said the drop was particularly pronounced in rural areas and states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
According to the Congress leader, the figures highlight a gap between public health policies and the realities faced by working mothers. He said a large number of women employed in the unorganised sector are compelled to return to work soon after giving birth because they lack paid maternity leave and job security.
Tharoor estimated that more than 16 crore women work in India’s unorganised sector. He argued that returning to work within weeks of childbirth makes it difficult for many mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children for the recommended first six months.
“Without paid maternity leave or job security,” Tharoor said, women working in informal employment can be forced back into the workforce shortly after delivery simply to meet their financial needs.
He argued that breastfeeding should not be viewed solely as an individual choice when economic circumstances can significantly influence a mother’s ability to remain at home with her newborn.
Tharoor also linked the decline in exclusive breastfeeding to wider structural challenges in India’s healthcare and commercial sectors. He pointed to the rise in Caesarean-section deliveries and what he described as aggressive marketing of infant formula substitutes.
The Congress MP said breast milk plays an important role in protecting children against malnutrition and infant mortality. He called for stronger financial maternity support for women employed in the informal sector and urged the government and employers to improve protections for new mothers.
He also called for stricter enforcement of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Act, commonly known as the IMS Act, which regulates the promotion and marketing of infant milk substitutes and related products.
In addition, Tharoor stressed the need to strengthen postnatal lactation counselling at health centres so that mothers receive adequate support and guidance after childbirth.
His remarks come against the backdrop of India’s efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes. While institutional deliveries have risen substantially, Tharoor said the decline in exclusive breastfeeding warrants greater attention from policymakers.
He questioned whether government authorities were planning concrete measures to address the issue, particularly for women who work outside the formal employment system and do not have access to conventional maternity benefits.
The comments have placed the focus on the intersection of women’s employment, maternity protection and infant nutrition, with Tharoor arguing that financial and workplace support could be crucial to enabling more mothers to follow recommended breastfeeding practices.
