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With the culture of shame that surrounds sex, and therefore sexual health, and the still-limited access to healthcare, women often struggle to make informed choices about contraceptives. So, while basic awareness has been on the rise, usage remains limited. Just around 39% of all Indian women use modern methods of contraception such as sterilisation, intra-uterine devices, and the pill, according to data from Family Planning 2020, a global organisation dedicated to reproductive health and contraception.

Among these, female sterilisation remains the more popular choice, accounting for over 75% of contraceptive use in India. The procedure is offered for free by government-run camps, but negligence and even gross human rights violations have often led to deadly results.

That could explain why the government is now increasing the number of free-of-cost methods on offer under its long-running family planning program to include injectable contraceptives featuring the drug depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DPMA. Currently, the program offers female and male sterilisation, IUDs, condoms, and pills for free.