Following massive protests over the death of 13 women who underwent the sterilization procedure of tubectomy in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh last November, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written to all States reminding them that every person should be counselled about the different family planning options available. The letter completely contradicts the Union government’s intent of achieving population stabilization almost exclusively through sterilization. In a letter sent in October 2014 to 11 high-focus States, the Ministry had noted that the 2020 family planning goals had underlined the importance of sterilization surgeries in these States. Even the recently released draft National Health Policy 2015 highlights the challenge of population stabilization in six of the 11 States. In order to achieve the annual targets, the government recently increased the compensation given to women/men, motivators (Accredited Social Health Activists) and doctors. If the revised incentive given to motivators is Rs.200 for tubectomy and Rs.300 for vasectomy, the amount is as high as Rs.1,000 for a permanent limiting method (tubectomy or vasectomy) in the case of couples after up to two children. The higher incentive earmarked for permanent limiting methods is another reason why more women will now end up on the operating table. The government recently added a new component post-partum sterilization done soon after or within seven days of delivery. This approach works to the government’s advantage as more women are opting for institutional delivery to avail of the cash incentive earmarked for it. Given the government’s primary focus on permanent and irreversible family planning options, the question of counselling women on the different options and giving them full freedom to choose the best one, will at best remain on paper, and not in practice. Sterilization is the most prevalent form of contraception in the country, constituting nearly 75 per cent of the.2002