A quarter of the 500,000 women who die during pregnancy or after childbirth worldwide every year are Indian. Campaigners say that lack of knowledge about basic medical care puts mothers at risk and that the government lacks the political will to educate families planning to have children.
Despite an overwhelming need to address the issue, health remains a minor issue for political parties. Al Jazeera’s Nidhi Dutt reports from Kolatalahut in West Bengal.