PIP: The government of India has set a goal of reducing perinatal mortality from its current rate of 48/1000 to 30-35/1000 by the year 2000. Perinatal deaths result from maternal malnutrition, inadequate prenatal care, complications of delivery, and infections in the postpartum period. Since reductions in perinatal mortality require attention to social, economic, and behavioral factors, as well as improvements in the health care delivery system, a comprehensive strategy is required. Social measures, such as raising the age at marriage to 18 years for females, improving the nutritional status of adolescent girls, reducing the strenuousness of work during pregnancy, improving female literacy, raising women's status in the society and thus in the family, and poverty alleviation programs, would all help eliminate the extent of complications of pregnancy. Measures required to enhance infant survival include improved prenatal care, prenatal tetanus toxoid immunization, use of sterile disposable cord care kits, the provision of mucus extractors and resuscitation materials to birth attendants, the creation of neonatal care units in health facilities, and more efficient referral of high-risk newborns and mothers. Since 90% of births in rural India take place at home priority must be given to training traditional birth attendants in the identification of high risk factors during pregnancy, delivery, and the newborn period.