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Focus 1994 April - June English |
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BULLETIN
ENVIRONMENT
OF POPULATION
FOUNDATION
OF INDIA
Swaminathan Committee Recommends setting up 01
Population and Social Development Commission
Dr. M.S. Swaminathan
The group of experts on
National Population Policy
has strongly suggested setting
up of a "Population and Social
Development Commission" on the
lines of the Atomic Energy and
Space establislunents to enable the
tackling of all population-related
issues in a holistic manner.
It has also recommended the
setting up of a "Population and
Social Development Committee" at
the level of the Union Cabinet under
the chairmanship of the Prime
Minister and similar bodies, headed
by the Chief Ministers, in the States.
"If our population policy goes
wrong, nothing else will have a
chance to go right", the group has
emphasised.
The report was submitted by
the group, headed by Dr M 5
Swaminathan, a former member of
the Planning Commission and
Chairman, Advisory Council of the
Population Foundation of India, to
the Union Minister for Health and
Family WeUare, Mr B Shankaranand
on May 24, 1994.
Significantly, the group has
talked in terms of "population
stabilisation" as being a multi-
dimensional
task requiring
coordinating different levels. "It is
the expectation of the Committee
that demographic goals will be
pursued through a decentralised
grassroot approach."
The demographic goals set for
the year 2010 are:
• Total implementation of the
Minimum Needs Programme,
especially universalisation of
primary education, and reduction
in the drop out rates of primary
and secondary school students,
both boys and girls, abolition of
child labour and top priority to
primary health care,
• Reduction in the incidence of
child marriages, especially girls
below the age of 18 to zero.
• Cent per cent coverage of
deliveries by trained personnel.
• Reduction in maternal mortality
to less than 100 per one lakh live
births.
• Universal immunisation
of
children against TB, polio,
diphtheria, whooping cough,
tetanus and measles and
reduction in the incidence of
diarrhoea and acute respiratory
infections.
• Infant mortality rate be brought
down to 30 per thousand live
births, a sharp reduction in child
mortality rate (one to four years
age group) and inincidenceoflow
birth weight babies below 2.5 Kg.
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PROJECT UPDATE
Phulbani Project Forges Ahead
Infant mortality has in recent
years been recognised as an
excellent summary index of the
housing; and low income.
It may be mentioned that way
back in 1988, Population Foundation
districts, tribal districts, etc. - and
Tikabali block in Phulbani district of
Orissa was one among them to
level of living and socio-economic of India (formerly Family Planning represent hilly tribal characteristics.
development of a country/state at Foundation) in collaboration with
In the light of the findings
par with the conventional
identified
during
the
indicators of gross domestic
product, per capita income, per
NEWSFLASH
investigative
intervention
phase,
the
project was
capita consumption of power
launched on June 17, 1992.'
and fuel, etc. While the former
Population Foundation of India
concentrates on the vital social
(PFI), the Government of Orissa
aspects, the latter only on the
and Jagruti, a Phulbani-based
economics of the development
NGO joined hands to implement
process ignoring its impact on
the project whose main thrust is
the social front.
to strengthen the primary health
Orissa enjoys the dubious
care particularly the maternal
distinction of having the highest
infant mortality rate in India; 125
per thousand live births
compared to the national level of
80. And according to the baseline
survey (january - December 1992)
conducted in Tikabali block
(comprising 11 gram panchayats
with a population of 44,000), it stood International Development Research to 'FOCUS', April-June, 1992. Vol.VI,
at an incredibly high figure of 164.07. Centre (IDRC), Canada undertook No.2 for highlights of the Project).
It was against this background this action-research project entitled
The decline of IMR in Tikabali
that the "Tikabali' experiment was "Infant Mortality in Relation to block from 164.07 (as revealed by
undertaken in Orissa in two phases-
Fertility" in five States to provide baseline survey in the Jan-Dec. 1992
research phase and intervention sufficiently variegated sample - period) to 145.06 in the mid-term of
phase. During the research phase, rural plains, slums, urbanised April '93- March '94 period, is a
ten risk factors
hopeful sign of the
were identified as
initial success of the
proximate determi-
strategic interven-
nants of high infant
mortality
in
Tikabali block. In
tions undertaken in
this project. While
realising that the
order of import-
full impact of such
ance, these are:
Maternal malnutri-
interventions
would take time to
tion; poor health/
show up as in other
illness
during
development
pregnancy; low
birth weight babies;
labour complica-
tions; poor health
of one child;
inadequate supple-
mentary feed; lack
of immunisation;
unsafe drinking
water;
poor
P. f rst ever block level women's workshop at Tikabali
processes,
this
achievement
is
bound to encour-
age the field
workers to forge
ahead with hope
and greater dedica-
ted effort to realise
the full potential of
the project.
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·. A Year of Fruitful Activity he year 1993-94saw all-round Mobilisers (VMs), three inservice
activity in the major areas of orientation/refresher courses were
T. action, viz. community conducted under the guidance of Dr
mobilisation, training of grass-root P S N Rao, Medical Officer. Forty
functionaries.
intersectoral three VMs and six Cluster
collaboration with official agencies, Coordinators (CCS) participated in
Information Education and each of these training programmes.
Communication (IEC),Management In one of the programmes,
Information Service (MIS), and participants were taken on an
Management of materials and men exposure trip to Daringbadi, about
in Phulbani Project.
100 Kms from Tikabali, to gain
People's Participation
practical knowledge of community
mobilisation from the then ongoing
To ensure people's participation anti-liquor campaign spearheaded by
in programme implementation and Jagruti. Apart from the joint training
monitoring periodical meetings are programmes, the CCS received a
being organised at various levels- 5-day training on communication.
PROJECT UPDATE
..""""",.
•,,'•0...1,',1.,"""'"".,,,,0.,""" ~
~•••• ,."f.
;~.;;,::.,,1
,ff' ,:::::::
,""I.I;::,. t,tI
Shri Nityananda, District Collector, Phulbani addressing the open session
village, panchayat and beyond.
During the year under report, 466
mothers', 71 adolescent girls' and 60
youth meetings w.ere organised. In
addition, 138 village and 36
panchayat meetings were held.
People's attitude to the programme
is remarkably positive as is
evidenced by the large number of
participants in such meets.
Training Programmes
To improve technical
knowledge and skill of the Village
Intersectoral Collaboration
The project has been successful
in establishing a meaningful
collaboration with the local official
agencies and institutions such as
PHC and its sub-centres, Angan
W~dis, CD Block,schools (for health
programmes) and panchayats to
promote inter-sectoral collaboration.
The project input in community
mobilisation through the community
....cont. on page 4
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Two new Projects to Accelerate Decline t•n
Infant Mortality and Fertility
From June 1 this yecu:, two
more integrated projects to
"accelerate the pace of decline
in infant mortality and fertility
through strategic interventions",
have been launched.
One of these covers Jaunpur
block of Tehri Garhwal district of
Uttar Pradesh, an economically
backward hilly area with a
population of over 50,000 spread in
250 villages. The second is located in
Damoh block of district of the same
name, which is a tribal dominated
r~ral area of Madhya Pradesh. Both
these districts have a velY high
infant mortality rate: Tehri Garhwal
recorded IMR of 132 and Damoh
189 in 1981.
These two projects are an
offshoot of the major study
conducted by the Foundation to
identify proximate determinants of
infant mortality in relation to fertility
in five States including Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
These research findings were
discussed in a national Seminar
chaired by the late Mr J R D Tata
and attended by field project leaders,
experts and policy makers. In the
light Of these discussions andfurther
consulations held with experts like
Dr Banoo J Coyaji, Dr Shanti Ghosh,
Prof Meharban Singh, Prof Almas
Ali, as also with Dr Anwar Islam of
the IDRC, Mr Harish Khanna,
Executive Director of the Population
Foundaton of India, got prepared
the blue-print of the Phase II of the
intervention
project
to be
implemented in U.P., M.P. and
Orissa. The start was made with
Orissa on June 17, 1992 by
implementing a well designed
intervention project in Tikabali block
of Phulbani District of Orissa which
reports high IMR.
In Uttar Pradesh, the project
would be implemented by Dr Shalini
Shah of the Landour Community
Hospital under the aegis of the
NGO PHULNA while in Madhya
pradesh, it will be under the charge
of Dr Rajkamal David Lal of
Grameen Nav Jagruti Yojana, a
voluntary organisation.
The projects spread over two
years will have a total budgetary
provision of over Rs.45 lakh. Out of
this about Rs.32 lakh will be
contributed
by International
Development Research Centre,
Canada, while the remaining amount
will be provided by the Population
Foundation of India. The Chief
Coordinator, Mr Harish Khanna is
assisted by two Research Associates,
Ms Anuja Gulati and Ms Sandhya
Dhingra. Special assistance of Dr
Matiur Rahman has been provided
for developig a good MIS and
evaluation design.
The central objective of the
projects is to test the 'efficacy of
target-specific health interventions
and provide a basis for appropriate
policies to hasten decline of infant
mortality by quickly identifying
women at risk, improving service
delivery through motivation,
training and better interaction with
local health cadres and other official
agencies.
The PFI-IDRC collaborative
acion-research project has acquired
special importance in view of the
recent priority given to CSSM
(Child Survival
and Safe
Motherhood) programmes which
find place in the new policy for
controlling population growth
which the Government has recently
spelt out. Research findings of the
Phase I and Phase II could be used
to design alternate strategies.
A Year of Fruitful Activity ....cont. from page 2
based VMs has been a vital factor educational
institutions
to
for almost cent per cent implement the School Health
immunisation coverage. PHC/Sub- Programme. In all, 103 such
Centres have enlisted the help of programmes were arranged during
VMs for distribution of iron folic 1993-94.
acid tablets, chloroquine tablets,
condoms, ORS packets, etc much
Ii.C Activities
to the satisfaction of the people.
Functional
linkages
To give a fillip to IEC
activities, print materials-posters,
established between the project flip charts etc. are obtained from
and the ICDS in areas like government and non-government
'providing ante-natal care services, agencies and are 'used for
distributing disposal delivery kits, community mobilisation during
growth monitoring of infants and home visits, group contacts and
referral have given a great boost mass meetings. Wall paintings/
to the child health care. Similarly, writings on immunisation and
the project is collaborating with pregnancy complications have
the CD Block in implementing a been put in six gram panchayats.
UNICEF sponsored programme As an educational campaign
for provision of drinking water, through folk media, CUl organised
san itary latrines and ORS depots cultural troupe staged six
for control of diarrhoeal diseases. programmes of a play "Aamma
As an added effort towards Ghara, Aamma Samasya" (Our
community mobilisation, the home, our problems) which
project
collaborates
with attracted large village audiences.
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Insights into Adolescent Sexuality
IIDEHLEEZ"
Emerges a Popular
Programme on
Yuvavan;
More young people in the
adolescent age group are showing
signs of sexual activity at an earlier
age than before, reveals a study
conducted by the PFI in various parts
of India. Several focus group
discussions involving teenagers were
conducted in Shimla, Delhi, Hyderabad
and Bangalore by the Foundation in
order to gain a deeper understanding
of sexual behaviour and problems
faced by adolescents. The study was
part of Phase I of a communications
resarch desgin, the findings from
which are being fed into DEHLEEZ, a
soap opera in Hindi for the young
population between 11-19 years of
age. Several experts in the fields of
population education, adolescent
sexuality, communications
and
psychosexual therapy also provide
guidance and inputs into the serial with
requalr frequency.
DEHLEEZ is the result of a
pioneenng effort by PFI which had
earlier collaborated with eminent
scholars from Cornell University, New
York to conduct a large baseline
survey of the attitude of 17,200
adolescents towards family life and
sexuality in rural and urban parts of
UP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi
with the help of ORG, a resarch group.
Findings revealed that there was urgent
need for a structured, systematic, yet
entertaning communication strategy to
impart sex education to young people.
Therefore, a soap opera format was
adopted in which relevant issues were
introduced and discussed by different
characters in various situations.
About 11 ,000 listeners have
enrolled for regualr listening of
DEHLEEZ being broadcast on the
Yuvavani Channel from 30 stations of
AIR, covering almost the entire Hindi
belt. Of the 11,000 regular listeners,
over 4000 were administered a short
questionnaire by mail probing about
their family environment, parental
control, and aspects of gender
socialisation and their views towards
marriage.
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Trade Unions Hold the Key to Promoting
Family Planning Among Workers
Although in the Indian context
promotion of small family
norm among industrial
workers and striving for their_
economic and social betterment are
almost co-terminus, yet promotion
of family planning receives a very
low priority in the activities of trade
unions professedly engaged in
a-dvancing workers interests.
Demand for family planning services
hardly finds a place in the charter of
workers demands that are put up to
the managements or the w>vernment
by the trade 'unions from time to
time.
The managements of the
companies, too, do not show
much enthusiasm towards
family planning activities
among their workers although
it has been demonstrated
beyond a shadow of doubt
that any expenditure or effort
on this account is more than
compensated by increased
productivity through less
absenteeism and a more
contented labour force.
These are some of the
basic findings of an important
research study sponsored and
funded by the Population
Foundation of India (formerlyFamily
Planning Foundation) and conducted
by Shri Ram Centre for Industrial
Relations and Human Resources,
New Delhi with Prof J S Sodhi as
Project Director.
In view of the enormous
potential of trade unions towards
furthering the cause of family
planning among industrial workers
the major part of the study entitled
"Attitudes and Activities of Trade
Union Leaders and Company
Management Towards Adoption of
Family Planning by Workers",
addressed itself to the philosophy,
attitude and activities of the trade
unions in this field. The areas selected
represented two comparatively old
-:-Ahmedabad (Gujarat state) and-
Calcutta (West Bengal State) and
two relatively new-Pune
(Maharashtra State) and Kalamsery
(Kerala State)-industrial belts.
The total sample size of
respondent Union Leaders was 380,
the break-up being Ahmedabad 100,
Calcutta 101, Pune 76 and
Kalamassery 103.These trade union
leaders belonged to 76 different
companies out of Which only 51
responded.
Two separate
questionnaires were devised : one
for the trade union leaders and the
other for the management of
companies. We present here some of
the more important findings and
conclusions of this research study.
Companies' Luke
Warm Approach
About one-third of the
companies did not have a positive
attitude to the issue offamilywelfare
of workers while one-fourth showed
a negative attitude. Even those
having a positive attitude did not
translate it into action. While
contraceptive supplies were
arranged by 30 per cent of the
companies, incentives (though
inadequate in many cases) were
provided by 66 per cent of them and
40 per cent had taken up family
planning education ofworkers. Their
involvement in other welfare
activities was also somewhat patchy.
Trade Unions Equally
Unenthusiastic
Insofar as trade unions in the
organised industry are concerned
they too did not have a positive
philosophy towards family planning
as they still did not consider it a
basic element of workers' welfare.
Although the attitude of more
union leaders was positive, factors
comprising the negative attitude-
explained 28 per cent (out of 60 per
cent) of the total variation. These
factors related to morality, family
planning propaganda and adverse
effects of some of the temporary
methods of family planning.
Abortion, alongwith the adoption
of family planning methods, was
still considered a sin by some of
the union leaders. This underlined
the need for a long-term strategy
to educate and train union leaders
not only to give them a favourable
orientation vis-a-vis family
planning and to remove their
apprehensions and preconceived
notions, on sex-related matters but
also to enhance their knowledge and
awareness of family planning
methods which was found to be not
so high.
Adoption rate High
Among Union Leaders
The study shows that the Union -
leaders' adoption of family planning
methods was high, their adoption
rate being much higher than the all-
India average. More leaders had
opted for permanent methods of
family planning in all the four areas,
tubectomy being the most favoured.
General education and income of
the leaders had made a positive
contribution towards the adoption
of family planning by the leaders.
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Role and Activities of
Trade Unions
Probing the role and activities
of the trade unions vis-a-vis supply
of contraceptives, provision of
incentives, including family welfare
in the charter of demands, taking up
family planning education, etc. the
study brings out:
• The muons had neither taken up
the provision of incentives
directly nor had approached the
management or the government
for help in this regard. It was
mainly due to the opinion-
though contrary to the actual
experience-of union leaders that
payment of incentives would in
no way accelerate the adoption
of family planning methods.
• Family planning demands were
put up in the charter by a few
unions and that too not uniformly
in all the four study areas. It
implied that family planning
neither formed the core nor the
periphery interest area of the
unions.
• The unions did not approach the
government for helping them in
taking up family planning
activities mainly due to their
indifference and wrong
perceptions.
• About 20 per cent of the union
leaders wanted the enactment of
a law making it mandatory for
the managements to provide
family welfare facilities to their
workers.
• Majority of the leaders had not
received any education/training
regarding family planning. This
felt need, it was suggested,
should be met with the
management providing minimum
infrastructure and other facilities.
Some Suggestions
In view of the overall need to
involve more fully the corporate
sector and trade unions in the
governmental efforts at promoting
family welfare among workers the
research study makes, inter alia, the
.following suggestions: .
• Apart from involving the
corporate sector and trade unions
in the formulation and
implementation of officialfamily
welfare programmes, these two
organisations should take up
family welfare activities on their
own with mutual understand-
ing of their benefits to both.
• Family planning of workers
should be incorporated in the
Unions philosophy and plant
level leaders made explicitly
aware of it as much depends on
their attitudes and efforts.
• The trade unions, the official
agencies and the managements
should work hand in hand to
pool their resources and efforts
to achieve maximum results.
There is need for better
communication and interaction
between all three of them to
:C;;:xt i~o:ke~~~:~!m~r
• Meaningful communication may
also take place in joint
committees which may be set up
at the grass root level, between
the plant level leaders,
government officials and
management representatives to
give' the programme a push
where it needs most.
• Since education plays a key role
in building up positive opinions,
knowledge and action of family
planning methods, the need for
educating union leaders
themselves before they, in turn,
take up the task of imparting
education to the workers, can
hardly be over-emphasised. This
activhy should be taken up with
the help of the management who
may provide some basic
infrastructure facilities including
trainers (who may be in addition
to the union leaders being
themselves the trainers) and
release of workers from duty for
attending the classes. The
government can help in training
the trainers and even making it
mandatory on the part of the
management to provide basic
infrastructure facilities.
UNFPA Awards for 1994
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Follow-up of Rajasthan Consultations:
Tonk Project Finalised
As a follow-up of the
Rajasthan Consulations
reported in the last issue of
the "FOCUS", the first major activity
was a one-day seminar organised by
the IEC Bureau of the Department
of Medical and Health Services,
Rajasthan, on May 27, at the Indian
Institute of Health Management
Research, Jaipur. The seminar, which
was attended by the Health
Department IEC personnel and
voluntary organisations made an
attempt to work out a strategy and
operational action plans for a
Population Foundation of India
project entitled "Intensifying Family
Planning Activities by means of an
Integrated Family Planning, Helath
and Social Development" that would
be implemented in Tonk district of
Rajasthan,
The main aim of the PFI project
is to develop a comprehensive
district leavel approach for creating
conditions under which quick
fertility decline can be brought about.
The strategy would include
improving the quality of life as
reflected in better health status and
social and economic well-being of
the family specially of the mother
and children resulting from
regulations of fertility by well
informed reproductive choices.
Parivar Seva Sans than would be the
agency implementing the project on
behalf of PFI. The IEC bureau of
Rajasthan would have all important
role of initiating a parallel
communication support project that
would create a climate in which the
pace of fertility decline could be
accelerated.
At the seminar, Mr Harish
Khanna, Executive Director of PFI
presented a brief outline of the
project that was followed by all
account of the operational details by
Ms Sudha Tewari, Managing
Director of Parivar Seva Sans than.
Mr Rohit Bandon, Director IEC
presented
details
of the
communication support project. The
Principal Health Secretary of
Rajasthan Shri 0 P Bihari made
useful suggestions as to how the
two projects could be coordinatred
and linked to each other.
Shri M L Metha, Chief
Secretary, who was present at the
seminar, assured that the state
government would give all support
to these projects in Tonk. He also
mentioned that Tonk had been
selected as an experimental district
to implement innovative Health &
Family Planning projects in
Rajasthan.
Dr Devendra
Kothari,
Honorary Adviser to the Foundation,
presented details ora project entitled
"Revamping the District Family
Welfare Bureau for effective
implementation of the family welfare
programme at district level", also to
be implemented in Tonk.
All the three projects are sought
to be run parallel with a view to
deriving maximum benefits for a
common goal.
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