To target adolescents for providing sex education to them along with awareness on nutrition, government also aims to develop peer educators.

Of the 16.4 million married adolescent pregnancies across the world, four million are in India alone. Teenage pregnancies account for almost 16 percent of the total pregnancies in India and almost 9 percent of total maternal deaths.

UNFPA representative for India and Bhutan Frederika Meijer said, "The greatest returns on investment come from investing in adolescent girls. Educated and healthy girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential and claim their human rights. They are also more likely to marry later, delay childbearing, have healthier children, and earn higher incomes. They will be a force for change in their communities and generations to come."

India has launched a RMNCD+A strategy that seeks to address reproductive, maternal, neo-natal, child health plus adolescent health need, delivering health services in homes and communities, along with public health facilities of 26 crore targeted adolescents aims to focus on 184 priority districts.

The UNFPA has said that the unwanted, unplanned pregnancies increase the chances of unsafe abortions that risk the life of young women and adolescent pregancies face a higher risk of maternal mortality.

Gupta said data available suggests that 45 percent maternal deaths occur in 15-25 age group while in 40 percent pregnancies, there is no appropriate spacing among children.

She said 21 states and union territories which account for 44 percent population have already achieved Total Fertility Rate of 2.1.

With focus on spacing of children, doorstep delivery of contraceptives by ASHA workers has also started in 233 districts and later will be done across the country.

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