Srinagar, Oct. 29 -- Kashmir's newest population data has set off alarm bells. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reports the region's fertility rate has plummeted to 1.4, one of the lowest in the country and far below the replacement level of 2.1. Buy vitamins and supplements

The number signals a dramatic social shift for a place once defined by large, close-knit families.

"I didn't believe it at first," says Dr. Sabahat Rasool, one of Kashmir's top fertility specialists. "It's deeply worrying."

The change is visible in living rooms and wedding halls across the valley. Fewer marriages, delayed parenthood, and shrinking families are becoming the new normal.

"We've turned marriage into a burden," Dr. Sabahat says. "Big weddings...