PFI 20 Year Souvenir

PFI 20 Year Souvenir



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Built on a .75 acre plot in
the Qutab Institutional Area
near the J.N.U. com,Jlex,
the permanent home of the
Family Planning Foundation
has taken almost four ye:lrs
to come up. The foundation
stone of the building was
laid (right) by Mr. J.R.D.
Tata on Decemcer 17, 1986
while the Dedication
Ceremony is teing performed
on December 27, 1990.
For the efficient manageme:lt
of the project, a building .
committee headed by Dr.
Bhdrat Ram was constituted.
Dr. Dipak Bhatia, Mr Justice
G. D. Khosla, late Dr. K. L.
Wig were the other members
of the Committee which
included the Executive
Director, Secretary-cum-
Treasu rer and the Project
Manager (Building) as ex-
officio members. Later, Dr.
B. K. Anand also joined the
Committee.
Costing nearly Rs. 2 crores
and having a cOvered area
of about 49000 sq. ft.,
the building has many
pleasing architectural
features.
Dedicating to the
Cause of Human Welfare
through Family Planning

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Family Planning Foundation
The Beginning
The Family Planning Foundation is 20 years young. It came into
being in October 1,970 in response to a definite felt need to create in
India a meaningful non-governmental initiative to supplement the
government effort in the field of population control. particularly in
relation to path-finding scientific research. It also concretized the
"obsessive concern" of a group of public-spirited industrialists,
led by Mr. J. R D. Tata. Chairman of the Tata Group of Industries,
about the country's runaway population growth which, by common
consensus. was eating away the fruits of planned socio-economic
development of independent India.
Today, 20 years after, the Foundation has earned a pride of place
for itself nationally as well as internationally. At the same time,
it has moved into its permanent home which will hopefully give to its
role and achievement a more enduring character. The twentieth
anniversary of the Foundation is thus a fitting occasion to focus
the spotlight on its "Two Decades of Dedication". It is also an
occasion for it to re-dedicate itself to its onerous commitments
and pledges for providing a lead to cope with the issue of
population in all its ramifications, viz., impact on the economy and
social polity. environmental degradation on account of severe
pressure on resources and the most basic question of quality of life.
The late Dr. Douglas Ensminger, who was the Ford Foundation
Representative in India. played a prominent role in collaborating
with the founders to create a unique Foundation independent
yet committed to national goals. Dr. Dipak Bhatia who had just
retired as the first Commissioner of the Union Department of
Family Planning. has this to say of Dr. Ensminger's contribution:
"One day he (Dr. Ensminger) called me to his room. As I entered
I found a very distinguished Indian sitting in front of him. He was
none other than Mr. J. R. D. Tata, who was wanting to do
something new and big for combating unbridled population growth.
Dr. Ensminger duly introduced the two of us to each other.
Perhaps it was the common cause dear to both of us that we took to
each other instantly. We immediately s,arted working together on
setting up the Family Planning Foundation which came into
e~istence not much after due to the strenuous efforts of Mr. Tata and
his two distinguished colleagues Dr. Bharat Ram, noted
industrialist and Mr. L. M. Singhvi. distinguished jurist who assisted
in defining the new institution's sphere of work."
To enable the Foundation to get over its teething problems and
launch upon its activities straightaway, the Ford Foundation
donated a sum of $200,000 on the condition that the new Foundation
came up with its own effort in the ratio 1 :3.
With Mr. J R. D. Tata and Dr. Bharat Ram as Chairman and
Vice-Chairman respectively, the first Governing B,oard of the

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Foundation had these eminent personalities as its members:
Dr. Dipak Bhatia. Mr. A. N. Haksar. Mr. H. V. R. lengar.
Mr. M. M. Mangaldas. Mr. Bhaskar Mitter, Lady Dhanvanti Ramarao,
Mr. L. M. Singhvi, Dr. K. L. Wig and Mr. B. H Zaidi.
Basic Objectives
The Family Planning Foundation set out to achieve some basic
objectives:
* To help raise the level of family planning beyond its traditional
confines by focussing on the variables restricting its operation;
* To support innovative research. experimentation and social action
from the point of view of bringing the grey areas into bold
relief and throwing up viable, replicable programme models;
* To involve the best scientific talent in the country in these efforts;
* To serve as a form for pooling of experience and sharing of
professional expertise to strengthen and enlarge the operational
base of the programme;
* To support efforts all round to place family planning on a
sounder footing;
* To assist official and public agencies in the advancement of the
cause of promoting human welfare through family planning
and other development programmes.
There is /tttle doubt that the techf7/cal resources and managertal
talents of the organised tndustry have a functIon in society and
oblIgatIon to the commuf7/ty much wIder than mere dIscharge of their
pnmarv business functIOn.
Areas of Concern
In tune with the objectives, the Foundation has been supporting
and financing projects undertaken by a variety of institutions and
individuals with grants for research and study of family planning and
related matters. with a marked accent on strengthening the role of
voluntary agencies as it believes voluntary organisations have a
vital role in supplementing government effort in meeting the
population challenge.
Broad areas of concern falling within the purview of the
Foundation cover social, behavioural. communication and
demographic aspects of family planning. reproductive physiology
clinical and field trials and training of personnel for family planning
programmes. Priority is given to projects with high feed-back
and replication value. An important aspect of its function is to
identify outstanding talents in the country and outside and to bring
them into the mainstream of the nation's family planning efforts.
Major Projects
In pursuance of its objectives, the Foundation has. In these
20 years, financed and supported some 250 research, study and
action -oriented projects at a total cost of Rs. 267 lakhs. Apart
from funding the projects submitted by different organisations

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.and individuals. the Foundation has itself commissioned projects to
make available to researchers, policy makers and field workers
basic data and other relevant information on population related issued.
The range and sweep of these projects extends from attempts to
develop new and more versatile contraceptives to promoting
behavioural patterQs which would contribute to community
development and social health. All along the line the emphasis has
been on quality rather than on numbers.
Through these projects. the Foundation has convincingly
demonstrated that in spite of certain socio-cultural and economic
factors which sometime militate against the adoption of family
planning, a humanistic approach to the programme which gives
sufficient importance to the people and grass-root institutions.
is capable of overcoming negative factors. Firmly believing that
population and development are intimately intercommitted much of its
work has emphasised the need to integrate the two for
optimum results.
Moulding Public Opinion
In a democracy people's representatives at various levels. viz.,
village panchayats. Zila Parishads, State legislatures. Central
Parliament. etc. have to take a lead in creating mass awareness in
relation to family planning as well its close linkages with the
development processes and to influence policies and programmes.
The Foundation did a pioneering job in filling some of the glaring
gaps in this area when it assisted the publication of "Population
Atlas of India" (containing in visually appealing form data of
certain basic demographic and development indicators) and
"Atlas of the Child in India". which were greatly appreciated at the
two national conferences of Parliamentarians in 1981 and 1985.
The Foundation actively associated itself with the Indian
Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development in
organising conferences and seminars at national. state and
constituency levels in order to institutionalise their support to the
cause of family planning.
Among its other notable cO'ntributions to the print media. mention
may be made of "Population in India's Development - 1948;
2000 A.D." which received high acclaim at the World Population
Conference at Bucharest in 1974 and a monumental work in two
volumes "India's Population: Aspects of Quality Contro'"
by Dr. Asok Mitra.
Mass Communication
The Foundation has, in diverse ways. made a modest contribution
in creating mass consciousness for family planning movement.
It has sought to develop new ideas and themes and translated them
into actual software which has been used by the government
as well for promoting mass awareness. The production of
documentary and video films, its scheme of awards for scripts on
population-related themes to help Doordarshan and A.I.R. to spot
fresh talent and new ideas. its publication of two popular pamphlets
(one in English and the other in Hindi) based on "Monograph on Age

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at Marriage in India" sponsored earlier by the Foundation, its
sponsoring of Human Survival Values project conducted in
collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan are some of the
Foundation's noteworthy efforts in the area 'of mass communication.
Apart from assisting other organisations and institutions in holding
group discussions, symposia and workshops to strengthen and
deepen public awareness on population problems, the Foundation
itself organises such seminars and meetings on important occasions.
Recently, it arranged a national seminar on "Infant Mortality in
relation to Fertility", an international colloquium "Reflections on
Population Policy: Yesterday and Tomorrow" to celebrate the
20th anniversary of the U NFPA; an international symposium on
"Communication Strategies in Family Welfare" in collaboration with
Population Communication (International), New York: a television
feature by Harish Khanna entitled "Birth Rate Blues", broadcast
over Doordarshan's national network; a special lecture by
the Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug on "Population:
A Challenge to Contemporary Development Strategies" ; Borlaug -
J. R. D. Television Dialogue on Population, Food and Human
Survival; and symposium on "Family Planning in the Nineties:
Search for new Approaches" in observance of the World Population
Day this year.
From the last quarter of 1987, the Foundation has been publishing
its quarterly bulletin "Focus on Population". The bulletin has been
well received as a vehicle to disseminate and document information
on various aspects of population and family planning.
Family Planning Foundation's
quarterly bulletin
dissemin3tcs and docum3nts
information on population-
related topics.

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B io-Medical Research
Allover the world vigorous efforts are being made to find a safe,
convenient and readily acceptable contraceptive. The Foundation
has been playill§<J small though significant role in these efforts.
Among a number of research projects sponsored by the Foundation,
the one related to the development of an anti-pregnancy vaccine
being conducted under the stewardship of Dr. G. P. Talwar of the
National Institute of Immunology, has begun to hold promise in
contraceptive technology. The vaccine has since been cleared by the
Drugs Controller of India for the crucial Phase II human clinical trials.
the results of wh.ich are e~pected to be known in a year's time.
In the meantime. the Pregnancy Testing Kit developed recently is
already being marketed.
Infant Mortality in Relation to Fertility
"A Study of Infant Mortality in Relation to Fertility" is one of the
most important projects promoted and assisted by the Foundation in
collaboration with the International Development Research Centre
(IDRC), Canada. Dr. B. R. Patil conducted this multi-centric
study according to a control design with the help of five leading
institutes in the country to identify the proximate determinants of
infant mortality and to bring out the nexus between infant mortality
<lnd fertility. The project studied risk factors at various levels of
child development. both pre-natal and post-natal. and has come up
with ideas for an action-programme of appropriate interventions to
bring down infant mortality.
For the purpose of the study, probably the first of its kind in India,
data was collected in five States from about 800 rural and urban
units. 2.500 grass-roots health workers. 1.10.000 households and
25,000 mothers. The major findings of the study were discussed
threadbare by e~perts at a national seminar before f~rmulating
interventional action programmes.
Our food production has
registered a significant increase
yet 40 per cent of our children
are still malnourished.
A national seminar was
held to formUlate action
programmes on the
basis of the study of
infant mortality in
relation to fertility.

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Female education is of pivotal
importance for the success of
family planning programme.
Diagnostic Studies on Population Status
As soon as the 1981 census results were published, the
Foundation felt the need to find out why the population growth rates
varied considerably among the states. In view of its significance
the Foundation undertook this study directly. entrusting it to
Mr. V. K. Ramabhadran, Director (Evaluation). The study covered
five states with different demographic and economic setting. viz.,
Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The main
findings and recommendations of the study were published in a
brochure-form and were forwarded to the concerned states to
stimulate informal discussion on the status of their population as also
to pave the way for a more effective implementation of the
family welfare programme.
Socio-Cultural Determinants
The Foundation has encouraged a number of studies and projects
concerning the socio-economic aspects of population growth,
behavioural patterns of communities vis-a-vis family planning.
status of women, causes underlying low performance of family
planning in some of the States, and a variety of other conneoted
subjects such as the role of incentives and disincentives, integration
of health services at the grass-roots level. Invariably these studies
by identifying weaknesses or shortcomings and by suggesting viable
solutions, have strengthened and streamlined various programmes.
For etXample, a Foundation study resulted in the induction of
population education in the Integrated Child Development Scheme
(ICDS) at the grass-roots. Recommendations of the Foundation
appointed Committee under the Chairmanship of Justice G. D. Khosla,
to etXamine in-depth the role of incentives and disineentives, were
widely acclaimed and provided much food for thought to the
government and policy planners. One of the significant programmes
financed partially by the Foundation relates to the Working
Women's Forum in Madras. The Forum has demonstrated the
efficacy of a feasible mechanism for training of female cadres in
different aspects of family welfare and women's development.
Employee-based Family Welfare Services
In order to accomplish the long-term goal of sensitising the Indian
industrial leadership and management to the serious implications
of unchecked population growth and its direct impact on the
economy, the Family Planning Foundation in collaboration with
various Chambers of Commerce and Industry undertook in 1989 a
programme of regional workshops aimed at mobilising the organised
sector in support of family planning programme. So far eight
regional workshops have been held at Chandigarh, Bombay,
Calcutta, Madras, Patna, Bangalore, Kanpur and Ahmedabad. The
ninth is proposed to be held at Bhopal. As a corollary to these
workshops a training programme for executives was also organised
at Bangalore to develop a practical and scientific methodology to
establish employee-based, self-sustaining family welfare services in
the organised sector which today employs over 30 million persons.

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Powerful Lobby and Think Tank
,
In short through its multi-pronged activities covering almost
the entire gamut of population-related subjects. the Foundation has
emerged as an exclusive lobby making significant contribution to
policy-making processes at all levels to serve the cause of population
stabilization. While the Foundation has been actively associated
with the formulation of strategies for the 7th and 8th Plans. the
Chairman Mr. J. R. D. Tata kept up the practice of sounding alarm
bells at the gravity of the situation. His letters to the Prime Ministers
from time to time have indeed touched a responsive chord.
Through its well-researched studies and demonstration projects,
the Foundation has acted as a path-finder helping in breaking
fresh ground and exploring new fields which had somehow failed to
receive adequate attention. In the process. it has forcefully brought to
the fore issues like the role of incentives and disincentives. nexus
of population and poverty. infant mortality in relation to fertility,
age at marriage. status of women etc.
As a think-tank it has often come up with practical suggestions
and workable strategies to improve the situation on the ground.
It has also tried to stimulate popular interest in population-related
issues by working with like-minded organisations and institutions,
sharing its experiences with them and in the process enriching itself
with their experiences and perceptions.
The Foundation also maintains a dynamic interface with
international institutions like UNFPA UNICEF. US AID. WHO.
Population Communication (International). Population Crisis
Committee. etc. providing and getting feed-back for wider
dissemination of critical opinion and data. Its role as a referral and
resource institution has been appreciated at home and abroad. It is a
matter of pride that in 1987 UN granted Associate Status to the
Foundation with the United Nations Department of Public
Information.
Last but not least the Foundation subjected its own activities to
critical assessment in order to enhance its relevance and usefulness.
It got two introspective studies done: one by Justice G. D. Khosla
to etXamine whether the Foundation was following the course charted
out for it and the other by the Administrative Staff College,
Hyderabad on whether the procedures being followed by the
Foundation needed any streamlining. Having completed 20 years of
its operation. it is presently engaged in yet another reappraisal on
the basis of which it will determine future direction and thrust.
New Perspectives
As Mr. J. R. D. Tata succinctly put it. "we have to face the fact
that despite all the efforts made and all the money spent over the
past two or three decades to curb the rate of growth of the
population. the country has failed to achieve anything like the
reduction in growth rate required to relieve the pressure on the
standards of living of our people."
While the relentless march of the monster of population continues
we have come face to face with the issues threatening the very
survival of the human race: ecological imbalance. environmental
degradation. depletion of forests and other natural resources.
Excessive population and poverty are indeed the two biggest
"pollutors" of environment.
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director
UNFPA is one of the many
eminent international personalities
who visited the Family Planning
Foundation.

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How much pressure
can our resources
bear?
Of late, some concern has been shown over the environmental
problems facing the country. But it leaves much to be desired since
some policies and programmes are seen to be interfering with
ecology and environment. There is need for a strong realisation that
the development policies should aim at ensuring mutually reinforcing
character of trends in economic. social, demographic and
environmental fields.
While the Foundation has already begun to interact with initiatives
aimed at intervention in population-environmental nexus with a view
to optimising its positive influences on social and economic progress.
it hopes to do so much more vigorously in the years to come.
On the basis of the elXperience gained in the past. it has formulated
well-defined criteria for promoting future projects which should be
development-oriented, innovative. replicable. gap filling.
cost-effective and path-finding.
The years ahead are the years of challenge and opportunity for
the Foundation and the country in so far as population related
programmes are concerned. While stepping into its 21st year. the
Family Planning Foundation is all geared to contribute its mite
to this national cause with faith and confidence. hope and vigour
characteristrc of a youthful organisation fired with a noble mission.

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India's Demographic Profile
Population growth
India's next decennial census is due in 1991. So far it has had
twelve censuses. the first being in 1872. These censuses are the
major source of data on the demographic trends in the country.
According to the census of 1981. the population of India was 685
million while in 1901 it was only 238 million: a near three fold
increase. The following table presents the data of the demographic
trends in the country.
Demographic Trends in India, 1901-1981
Census
year
1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
1971
1981
Total
population
(in millions)
238.4
252.1
251.3
279.0
318.7
361.1
439.2
548.2
685.2
Annual
average
e~ponential
growth rate
(per cent)
0.56
(-) 0.03
1.04
1.33
1.25
1.96
2.20
2.25
Se~ ratio
(females
per 1.000
males)
Density
of popula-
tion per
km2
Birth rate
per 1.000
population
for the
decade
Death rate
per 1,000
population
for the
decade
972
77
964
82
49.2
42.6
955
81
48.1
47.2
950
90
46.4
36.2
945
103
45.9
37.2
946
117
39.9
27.4
941
142
41.7
22.8
930
173
41.2
19.0
933
216
37.2
15.0
The year 1921 is considered as the 'great divide' in the
demographic history of India. During 1911-21. the population of the
country was stable at high mortality and fertility levels: the birth rate
of 48 per thousand and death rate of 47 per thousand. The
period from 1921 to 1951 (the first census after independence) was
one of slow but steady growth mainly because of gradual
reduction in mortality.
Thereafter followed the period of rapid growth. Social and
economic developments, including those relating to public health and
medical care. under the Five Year Plans led to a rapid mortality
decline. During the last three decades mortality declined by nearly 60
per cent from 27.4 in 1951 to 11.8 per thousand in 1982. while
expectancy of life at birth had increased from 32 years to over 55 years
to 1982. It is estimated to be 58.6 years in 1990.
This welcome decline in mortality is the result of the elimination of
famines and epidemics. At the same time plague and smallpox
have been eradicated and malaria deaths have been reduced from
millions to thousands. Hea Ith service coverage has improved
the survival chanoo of the new born infants and expectant mothers.

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For more recent years, data on vital rates are available from d dual
record system called. the Sample Registration System (SRS)
Introduced in 1965. The SRS estimates of Infant mortality rate for the
countrv as a whole suggest that It has declined from 140 per 1,000
live births in 1975 to 94 in 1988. Even this rate of infant mortality is
unacceptably high and the health polICY lays particular emphasis
on maternal and child health care preCIsely in the light of need of and
scope for reduction in infant mortality.
The decline In mortality has resulted In accelerated population
growth. The annual average evcponential growth rate of population
was as high as 2.25 per cent for the decade 1971 -81. Since
Independence there has been a near doubling of the country's
population. The absolute addition to the population In the single
decade of 1971 -81 is 137 million
It is clear from the earlier table that the population growth rate has
been increasing very rapidly. There was a four fold Increase in the
population growth rate in the first seven decades of the century:
rising from .56 per cent in 1901 -11 to 2.20 per cent In 1961 -71 .
The growth rate since 1951 has been higher than the peak population
growth rate of 1.5 per cent experienced by developed countries.
However. the population growth rate In 1971-81 was almost the same
as in the previous decade.
Sex Ratio
In India, the se~ ratio (defined as the number of females per 1,000
males) has historically been adverse to females owing to a number of
cultural and social factors. There had been a steady deterioration
in this respect over the decades (except during 1941 -51) as revealed
by the decline in the seiXratio from 972 to 930 during the period
1901 -71. However, in the last decade, 1971 -81. there has been a
slight improvement in this aspect as shown by an increase in the
se~ ratio to 933 in 1981. This encouraging feature is likely to be
the indication of the reversal of the long observed trend of female
disadvantage in life expectancy at birth.
Age Composition
The percentage of population in the age-group 0-14 was 41.1 In
1961, 42.0 in 1971 and 39.6 in 1981. The 1981 census age
distribution further revealed a decline in the percentage of population
in the two youngest quinquennial age-groups: from 14.5 per cent in
1971 to 12.6 per cent in 1981 for 0-4 age group, and from 15.0 -
per cent to 14.1 per cent for the 5-9 age group. These changes
corroborate the declining trend in fertility indicated by the SRS estimates
of birth rate which shows a decline of 4 points during 1971 -81
from 37.2 to 33.3 per thousand.
Even today, the broad-ba~e of the age pyramid of India's
population may be viewed as imposing certain constraints in terms of
Investment decisions. The dependency ratio (i.e. the number of
persons in the age groups 0-14 and 60 + per 100 persons in
age group 15-59) was 85 in 1981 as against 92 in 1971. Still. the
young age structure of the population hqlds the potentital for the
rapid population growth In the future years unless special measures for
more accelerated reduction in fertilit)! are taken. This would become
clear from the fact that even in a low fertility profile in next 1 5
years, the number of couples in reproductive age-group will increase
to around 170 million from the present level of 123 millions.

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83?,i
~
~ 238
~
.s
c:
:i;
t
Nuptiality Pattern
The social and cultural milieu of India has long favoured early and
universal marriages. The mean age at marriage for males and
females rose from 20 and 13 years in 1901 to 21 and 15 years in 1961
respectively. However, during the last two decades the practice of
early marriage has been on the decline. This is reflected in the 1981
census which recorded the mean age at marriage for males and
females at 23.3 and 18.3 years respectively. Further. the percentage
of never married women in rural areas in 1981 was 45 per cent as
compared to 41 per cent in 1961. The relevant figures for urban
areas are 50 per cent for 1981 and 46 per cent for 1961. This can be
attributed to efforts at raising the status of women by providing
increasing educational and economic activities. Increase in the age of
marriage for females has favourable implications as far as the
process of fertility decline is concerned.
Decline in Fertility
The fall in fertility, though not as dramatic as the one in mortality.
had definitely set in during the early seventies. The birth rate had
decreased from around 49 in 1901-11 to nearly 41 in the decade
1961-71. The comparable SRS estimate of birth rate was 33.6 in
1982. A number of other fertility indicators derived from the Sample
Registration System for both rural and urban areas, show a similar
decreasing trend; e.g. total marital fertility rate for rural areas had
declined from 6.8 in 1972 to 5.4 in 1978 and for urban areas from
6.0 to 4.6. The data also revealed consistent decline in age-specific
fertility rates for all the age groups.
The statistics regarding the distribution of births by birth order also
reveal the reduction in the percentage of higher order births both
in the rural and the urban areas. During the period 1972-78.
the percentage of births of order 4 and above declined from 47 to
38.4 in the rural areas and from 44 to 33 in the urban areas.

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National Family Welfare Programme
One of the crucial problems facing the nation today is the
burgeoning population which has been growing at an alarming rate.
Our population is increasing by 16 million every year.
The demographic profile of the country has serious implications for
overall socio-economic development. Ever-increasing numbers
have overshadowed the achievements that the nation has made on
economic front. Even though better health services have helped to
bring down the death rate considerably, birth rate still continues
to be very high. This calls for a determined bid to bring down the
birth rate.
The National Family Welfare Programme was started in the country
as an integral part of its development plans in the year 1952.
The approach under the first two plans was mainly 'clinical' under
which facilities and services were created. An 'eKtension approach'
was adopted in the Third Plan which envisaged eKpansion of
services and facilities and carrying the message of small family norm to
the people. The Programme was integrated with Maternal and
Child Health Care. It was intensified and made goal-oriented in
subsequent Plans. Presently, the Programme is pursuing the goals
stipulated under the National Health Policy.
Most Formidable Task
In view of the heterogeneous nature of the country, this task has
numerous compleKities. People in India speak different languages
practice different religions and have numerous cultural identities.
Varying social customs and beliefs favour large family-size and
impede the process of change which would accelerate the adoption of
modern methods of contraception. Among others. factors like a
-universal desire to have at least one or two male children and low mean
age of marriage of women also account for large size of families.
Moreover, there e~ist large scale variations in the demographic
situation and socio-economic cultural milieu between and within
various States and regions of the country which make the Programme
of population control a most challenging and formidable task.
A correlation between high-infant mortality and the desire to have a
large number of children is well accepted. The Infant Mortality
Rate (IMR) per thousand live births on all India basis which was as
high as 129 in 1976 has come down to 94 in 1988 as per SRS
estimates. But this is still quite high in our country as compared to
developed nations of the world. The IMR continues to have sharp
variation from State to State and in different areas
of the same State also.

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Health for All: a social worker
explaining to the construction workers
the benefits of a small family and
immunization of children.
Goals under National Health Policy
Under the National Health Policy approved by Parliament in 1983,
India set the twin goals of 'Hgalth for All' and a 'Net Reproduction
Rate of Unity' by the year 2000 AD., through the universal provision
of comprehensive primary health care services to all and an easy
access to family planning and maternal and child health care facilities.
The National Health Policy has enunciated the broad policy
framework for attaining these goals, attainment of which would
require securing of complete integration of all plans for Health and
Human Development with the overall national socio-economic
development process.
Programme Implementation
The promotion of small family norm is primarily based on voluntary
acceptance of the concept of responsible and planned parenthood
by the eligible couples. The parents are encouraged to adopt a
'two-child norm' - male, female or both of either sex - through their
independent choice of family planning method best suited to the
acceptors. Family planning services are offered through the total
health care delivery system.
People's participation is sought through all institutions,
voluntary agencies, opinion leaders, people's representatives,
government and non-government functionaries and various other
structures and influential groups. Imaginative use of the mass media
and inter-personal communication is resorted to for explaining the
various methods of contraception and removing socio-cultural
barriers wherever they exist. As a result of this approach, the number
of acceptors of various methods of family planning has started to
register progressive increase over the years.

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Profile of Acceptors
Age of Acceptors· Available information on age of wives of
acceptors and number of living children shows that the average age of
Wives of vasectomy acceptors declined from 32.7 in 1973-74 to
32.4 in 1987 -88. The percentage of vasectomy acceptors below thE
age of 30 years has gone down from 33.4 per cent in 1973 - 74 to
31.8 per cent in 1987-88. In CClseof acceptors of tubectomy,
the mean age declined from 31.8 years in 1974-75 to 30.2 in 1987 -88
During the same penod, the percentage of tubectomy acceptors
below the age of 30 years increased from 374 to 51.9. in case of
acceptors of IUD also, a decline In the mean age has been observed.
the mean age declined from 29.8 years In 1974-75 to 27.4 years In
1987 - 88 in the country as a whole.
Parity of Acceptors· The data available for the period 1978-79 to
1987 -88 show only marginal increase in the average number of
living children It was 3.4 during 1978-79 and 3.6 in 1987-88 In the
case of acceptors of vasectomy. It declined from 3.7 to 3.3 In
case of tubectomy acceptors and from 2.8 to 2.3 in case of IUD
acceptors during the same period implying that couples wih
relatively lesser number of children are now coming for familv
planning acceptance. The percentage of acceptors with three or less
number of children has gone up somewhat in case of tubectom'J
acceptors during the same period It decreased from 61.2 per cent to
55.7 per cent in case of vasectomy and increased from 53.6 per cent
to 64.2 per cent in case of tubectomy acceptors during this period
In case of IUD, the percentage of acceptors with two or less children
increased from 47.5 per cent in 1978-79 to 63.3 per cent in 1987-88.

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To break the nexus of high infant
mortality and fertility, greater child
survival is being ensured by pro-
viding immunization against vaccine
preventable diseases.
Educational Status: Available data on the educational status of
wives of the acceptors for the year 1987 -88 shows that percentage
of illiterate acceptors was 46.2 in case of vasectomy, 45.0 in case of
women who underwent tubectomy and 37.3 in case of IUD
acceptors. Percentage of wives with matric or higher qualifications
was 11.5 in case of vasectomy, 9.4 in case of women who underwent
tubectomy and 12.9 in case of IUD acceptors.
Couples Protection and Birth Rate
It is estimated that out of the 138.9 million eligible couples,
57.9 million couples constituting 41.7 per cent were effectively
protected under various methods of family planning as on March
31. 1989. The effective couple protection level is provisionally
estimated to have reached the level of 42.7 per cent in March 1990.
Since 1979-80, there has been an increase by about 19.4 per cent
points in the level of couple protection. The rate of step-up in
couple protection has accelerated during the last five years i.e. since
March 1983. The evidence of decline in the birth rate at national
level is available from the SRS estimates of the Registrar General of
India. Based on reverse survival methods, a birth rate of 41.2 was
estimated for the decade. 1961-71 (centred in 1966). The estimate of
birth rate as per SRS for the year 1987 was 32.2 which is lower by
9.0 points from the level of 41.2 that stood during 1961 -71.
Major Shortcomings
Various studies conducted through private and other organisations
have highlighted that the e~isting infrastructure is not being optimally
utilised mainly because of its inadequacy to provide proper services
and relatively unfavourable attitudes of the people towards it.

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The major inadequacies relate to poor quality of services, non-
availability of staff, lack of empathy of the staff and poor management.
Energising e~isting infrastructure with a view to optimising its
output is an area requiring priority attention.
Services and Supplies
Services and supplies are provided entirely free of cost at various
levels of the health delivery system according to the facilities available.
Though as an adjunct to these, supply of Nirodh and Oral Pills is
additionally being made through commercial channels at a highly
subsidised rate. supplies at all government-run centres remain free
of charge.
Maternal and Child Health
Health and well-being of mothers and children form sheet anchor
of this programme.
Safe motherhood is being promoted by emphasising the need for
having deliveries conducted by trained birth attendants. Training of
village dais has been augmented for the purpose. Telescoping fertility
in twenties through focussing the spotlight on marriage at the right
age, birth spacing and family limitation are other areas being closely
linked under the Programme. Mothers and children are helped to
overcome nutritional deficiencies through prophylactic service,s.
Greater child survival is being ensured by providing immunization
against vaccine preventable diseases like tetanus, diphtheria,
whooping cough, polio tuberculosis and measles. Pregnant women
are also provided TT cover to prevent neonatal tetanus under th e
Universal Immunization Programme launched in 1985.
Oral Rehydration Therapy (aRT) comprising home-made fluids or
ORS or Sugar-Salt solution is being promoted in a big way to
minimise deaths from dehydration caused by diarrhoeal diseases
especially among children under five years. These efforts are expected
to have a salutary impact on reducing infant and child mortality and
acceptance of family planning.

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on
Population
and
Poverty
Donning the mantle of a reluctant seer, quite often at the risk of being mis-
understood, Mr. J. R D. Tata has, time and again, warned the nation against the
evil consequences of population explosion.
Here are some insights into the problem, culled out from his various speeches
and writings spread over the last 40 years
PROBLEM CAN~BE)TACKLED
"I am aware how closely this problem is bound up with the traditional con-
cepts of a people with so ancient a civilisation as ours. but I am not one of those
who believe that nothing effective can be done. In fact. the problem is capable of
being tackled in a number of ways once its magnitude and urgency are recognised."
NO GREATER OBLIGATION
(From the Chairman's address at TlS:':O, 1951)
"The uncontrolled growth of our population does not merely present problems
of food and clothing for the additional population, but also results in an appalling
addition to the already severe degree of unemployment in the country and renders
impossible any rapid improvement in the standard of living of our people. There is no
greater obligation before every Indian. individual or institution, able and willing to
help his country and its people, than to make a contribution. however small. to the
national cause and task of family planning."
(From his address to the first meeting of the FP.F. Governing Board, 1971)
OF GREAT BENEFIT TO INDUSTRY
"Not many employers seem to realise that effective family planning programme
will result in reduced e~penditure on overheads and social infrastructure for their
employees. Family Planning practised ir I a rational and scientific manner will ulti-
mately yield great benefits to ind ustry."
(From his speech as Chairman, Family Planning Foundation, 1976)
A SMALL FRACTION REQUIRED
"If $25 billion (equivalent to three times as much in today's dollars) could be
spent by the U.S.A. alone to put man on the moon in 1969. surely the world can
afford the smail fraction of such a sum required to launch a massive programme of
concentrated research and assistance to combat the dire threat to world paace and
prosperity which Iies in uncontrolled population growth."
(From his address to International Consultation of Non-government.11 organisations on
.
Population Issues. Geneva, 1983)
THE BASIC ISSUE
"The basic issue is whether. as a free and richly endowed people. we shall
achieve bare survival or the vigorous growth which alone can assure to our people
the happiness and prosperity for which they have yearned for so long".
(From his keynote address to the Parli3mentarians in India, 1985)

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Mr. J.R.D. Tata.
Chairman Family
Planning Foundation
presenting a plaque
to Dr. Norman E.
Bar/aug. On extreme
right is Dr. Bharat
Ram, Vice-Ch3irman
F.P.F.
Dr. Norman Borlaug
on Food and Population
"Whenever I think of population and I call it the population monster though an
even better description could be population octopus as it has got many more
than eight appendages, I feel that we must learn to grapple with its monstrous
hunger. Hence, shortage of food becomes the most immediate and important
problem.
"For, even though we continue to do research and make improvements in science
and technology in order to provide higher level of protection to mankind,
there will be limitations to our efforts. Everybody talks about bio-technology of
molecular genetics. It will merely give us additional 10 to 15 years to educate
people of our pending difficulties with the population monster. Thereafter
we have either to produce enough food. clothing, housing, opportunities of
employment awareness of education
or perish."
(From the lecture of Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug organised by the
Family Planning Foundation in New Delhi).

3 Pages 21-30

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3.1 Page 21

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Lest We Forget
During the last five years the Family Planning Foundation
lost four of its eminent supporters - two of them being the
Members of the Governing Board of the Foundation and the
other two men of great distinction whose advice served
the Foundation in critically important areas.
Dr. K. L. Wig, a Founder Member, d;ed in 1986 following a
heart attack he suffered at Berne, Switzerland. Rich in
experience and loaded with honours Dr. Wig was one of the
most distinguished medical men of his time who made a
"dedicated and outstand;ng contribution" to the
Foundation's work.
Dr. Douglas Ensminger
Mrs. Tara Ali Baig
Dr Douglas Ensminger, Representative of the Ford
Foundation in India for long years and a "true friend" of the
Foundation died in New York in June 1989. Expressing his
grief at the death of Dr. Ensminger. Mr. J. R. D. Tata recalled
"his pioneering role in the creation of the Foundation as a
private. independent initiative mobilising support and
action for the cause of family planning."
Mrs. Tara Ali Baig, another Founder Member of the
Governing Board of the Foundation, died on September
21, 1989 after a long illness in Madras. lShe was one of the
most eminent social workers in the country, devoted to
the cause of women and children who rendered "j-nvaluable
public service in diverse fields of humanitarianc activity."
Dr. Sukhamoy Chakravarty, Chairman of the Advisory
Council of Family Planning Foundation who died on
August 22, 1990, of a heart attack in New Delhi, was one of
India's most distinguished sons who won great laurels at
home and abroad as a profound scholar of Economics and
theoretician of the planning process He was the honorary
Chairman of the Prime Minister's Council of Economic
Advisers all through the eightees under three Prime Ministers.
and was also the Chairman of the prestigious Research
Committee of the Planning Commission for a number of years.

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Governing Board
Mr. J.R.D. Tata - Chairman
Dr. Bharat Ram - Vice Chairman
Dr. B. K. Anand
Dr Dipak Bhatia
Dr. (Mrs.) Banoo J. Coyaji
Mr. S. P.Godrej
Mr. Justice G. D. Khosla
Prof. A. M. Khusro
Mr. H. P. Nanda
Dr. V. A. Pai Panandiker
Dr. D. P. Singh
Mr. Hari Shankar Singhania
Mr. B. G. Verghese
Mrs. Avabai B. Wadia
Mr. J. C. Jetli
Mr. Harish Khanna
(Ex-officio Member)
Dr. P. C. Joshi
Prof. T. N. Madan
Dr. A. S. Paintal
Prof. Ramlal Parikh
Dr. Rashmi Mayur
Dr. J.: K. Satia
Prof M. N. Srinivas
'Iealth and Biomedical
Jrof. N. S. Deodhar
)r. La~mi Rahmattullah
)r. Vasudev .
)r. 1. C. Anand: Kumar
)r. Badri N. Sa~ena
)r. J. S. Gill
)r. Padma Kashyap
)r. C. P. Bhatia
;ynaecology and
)bstetrics
)r. S. N. Mukherjee
)r. Vera Hingorani
)emography and
;tatistics
'rof. Prem P. Talwar
lrof. K. Ramachandran
)r. P. H. Reddy
Dr. K. Srinivasan
Dr. (Mrs) Vina Mazumdar
Dr. Yashpal
Mr. B. B. Vohra
Additional Secretary & Commissioner
Department of Family Welfare
Advisory Panels
Social Anthropology.
Sociology. Economics.
Politics and Psychology
(Social Sciences)
Prof. A. M. Shah
Dr. Victor S. D'Souza
Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed
Dr. Asha Bhende
Dr. B. R. Patil
Dr. Leela Dube
Management
Dr. B. D. Sharma
Environment
Dr. R. K. Pachauri
Evaluation
Mr. S. S. Nair
Mr. G. A. Kulkarni
Population Policy
Dr. D. Seth
Dr. Vasant Pethe
Communication
Mr. G. N. S. Raghavan
, Mr. Chanchal Sarkar
Community Participation
Dr. Vijay Kumar
Dr. O. P. Ghai
Dr. L. M. Nath
Dr. Dilip Mukerjee
Rural Development
Mr. Bunker Roy
'irection
ext
:liting, Visualis3tion
and Layout
over DeSIgn
hotographs
Page 6
ages 8, 11. 13. }
15 & back cover
b
Harish Khanna
P. K~Nijhawan and J. L. Saaz
J. L. Saaz
A. N. Kundu
Avtar ;Singh
Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare

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"In a hunger-stricken country like India it is a cruel crime
thoughtlessly to bring more children into existence than could
properly be taken care of, causing endless suffering to them and
imposing a degrading condition upon the whole family."
- Rabindranath Tagore
The continued pollution of the earth, if unchecked. will eventually
destroy the fitness of this planet as a place for human life .,..
Nuclear war... would reduce (combatant nations) to chaotic
remnants, incapable of supporting an organised effort for
recovery ... world-wide radioactive contamination, epidemics,
ecological disasters, and possibly climatic changes would so gravely
affect the stability of the biosphere as to threaten human survival
evervwhere on the earth.

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DECEMBER, 1990
Published by the Family Planning Foundation, B-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016.
Printed at the Statesman Press, The Statesman Ltd.• Connaught Circus, New Delhi-110001.