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Focus 1996 January - March |
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Volume X No. 1
January-March, 1996
NATIONAL SEMINAR ON
PO CY RECTIO 5 A D STRATEGY OF ACTIO
POPUL TION A D REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Health Minister calls for Voluntary Initiative
to make Population Control Programme a People's lVIovement
Inaugurating on 19th December, 1995, the two-day
National Seminar ox: "Policy Directions a~d Strategy ~:
Action in Population and Reproductive Health,
organised by the Population Foundation of India as a part of
its Silver Jubilee Celebrations, the Union Minister for Health
and Family Welfare, Mr A R Antulay, mooted the idea of a
task force with su pport from the corporate sector and NGOs
to tackle the population problem.
Asking the Population
Foundation ofIndia (PFI) to take a lead
in the matter, the Minister said that
such an initiative on the part of NGOs
would definitely add momentum and
underline the urgency of controlling
population growth and promoting
family welfare programmes.
Mr Antulay said that bigger
involvement and the-combined efforts
of the corporate houses, industrialists
and social activists were essential to
turn the programme into a people's
movement, which was the only way to
make it a success.
The Minister said pursuing the beaten track was ho
longer going to be helpful. It was only by addressing the
problem in its broader dimensions that it could be tackled
effectively and in this task, organisations like the PFI could
help the government in meeting thes.e challenges.
Coming back to his suggestion for the formation of a
committee or task force to monitor the working and progress
of the population control measures, the Minister expressed
the hope that such an initiative would keep the programme
on t e right path while ensuIing its speedy implementation.
. II hi' opening remarks, Mr AntuIay paid glowing
tnbl tes to the late Mr J R D Tata who was the gUiding star of
the PH
INDUSTRY MUST PLAY A GREATER ROLE:
DR BHARAT RAM
In his introductory statement tracing the history and
role of the Population Foundation of India over the last 25
years, Dr Bharat Ram, Chairman of the PFI, warned that
unless serious measures were taken to control the country's
population, the situation would become
"chaotic and unmanageable".
He said that the Industry must play
a greater role in the task of fertility
reduction in the coming years. "It can be
done by each industry adoptinga specific
area in the country, even a district, and
promoting simultaneously programmes
of female literacy, child survival, safe
motherhood, spacing and limitation
methods of family planning", h.e
emphasized.
Dr Ram also urged all political
parties to incorporate population control
in their election manifestoes and take
appropriate steps for implementing the
same.
Welcoming the participants in the National Seminar,
Dr K Srinivasan, Executive Director of the PFI, said the inter-
relationship between population growth and economic
development was Significant. He also spoke o( recent trends
in fertility decline and called for a more effective population
programme in the context of the decentralisation.
Before the inaugural session concluded with a Vote
of Thanks presented by Dr V A Pai Panandiker, Director,
Centre for Policy Research and Member, Governing Board,
PH the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare,
released a COrrL'1lemorativebrochure outlining the activities
and programmes the PFI had undertaken over the past
25 years.
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DEMOG
: First Plenary Se sl•on
The
opening
plenary session of
the National
Seminar, chaired by Dr
K Srinivasan, Executive
Director of PFI, analysed
the recent trends in
demo-graphic transition
in India and their impact
on Policies and Actions.
Prof
Sumati
ATIONAl SEMINAR
Population Foundation of India organized a two-day National Seminar on
Policy Directions and Strategy of Action in Population and Reproductive Health
on 19·20 December, 1995 at Hotel T.aj Mahal, New Delhi, as part of its Silver
JubileeCelebrations. TheSeminarwasinaugurated by Shri A R Antulay, Union
Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
There were five plenary sessions. The first three sessions were held on
19th December, on Demography, Policy and Plans, Reproductive Health, and
the other two on Management and Programme Administration, and Political
massive base, India will
have to live with
substantial
yearly
additions to population.
In absolute terms,
the Indian economy too
has shown growth. But
despite some structural
improvements, its major
weakness continues to be
its heavy dependence on
Kulkarni of Inter-
Support were held on 20th December. Presentations from four experts in the agriculture
sector
national Institute for field were made under each session.
indicated by its failure to
Population Sciences,
There was a special session on 19th December at 6 PM. Dr NafisSadik,
create sufficient jobs
Bombay, presenting her Executive Director, UNFPA gave an address to the participants on New outside this sector.
paper on "Inter-
Directions for Population Policies and Programmes in developing countries
According to Prof
relationship Between
following the Cairo Conference in September 1994.
Kulkarni, studies carried
Population Growth and
Economic Development
in the Country: Present
Conditions and Future
Scenario", said the
growth
rate
of
population in India
remained nearly static
during the last two
decades,
thereby
concealing the fact of our
achievements of rapid
mortality
decline,
The last and important session was on Political Support in which political
leaders from different parties, Dr Ashok Mitra, ivlrVasant Sathe, Mr P Upendra
and Mr Sikander Bakht, expressed their views on the population problems of
the country and their respective party lines on population issues.
Dr (Mrs) Najma Heptulla, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha delivered the
valedictory address. She said that the population problem should be tackled
on a war-footing. All political parties should make a commitment to the success
of the population control measures. Small family norm, development, status of
women, environment all formed part of a comprehensive issue which posed a
challenge before the nation, she emphasized.
Prominent political leaders, administrators, policy makers, demographers,
managementspecialists, social scientists, representatives 01national voluntary
out in 14 States to find the
correct inter-relationship
showed that population
growth was neither an
obstacle nor conducive to
State Domestic Product
growth. The stronger
relationships were with
per capita consumption of
commercial energy, index
of
infrastructur'e
development
and
percentage of workers
particularly in infant
organisations and international agencies participated in the National Seminar
engaged
in
the
mortality rates - from which was a veritable who's who of the glitterati in their respective fields.
manufacturing sector.
over 200 per thousand in
Prof Ashish Bose,
1947 to 80 per thousand in 1991-92. population has reached replacement Population and Urbanisation Expert
During 1971-91, total fertility declined level of fertility and it is going down and Fellow of Jawaharlal Nehru
by 40 per cent. About 10 per cent of everywhere. Yet, because of the University, discussed the recent trends
(From left to right): Prof. P.N. Mari Bhat, Prof. Ashish Bose, Dr. K. Srinivasan (Chairman),
Prof. K.B. Pathak and Dr. Sumati Kulkarni
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and prospects of urbanisation and
migration in India.
Prof Bose considered that
migration is going to be the most
important issue of demography not
only in India but all over the world in
the coming years.
In India, rnlgration of people from
mral to urban areas has been choking
the urban infrastmcture and almost all
urban centres in the country have corne
to a break-down point. Presenting a
series of statistical charts, Prof Bose
said that urbanisation is being
sustained not so much by migration as
natural increase in population, which
accounts for 60 per cent of the growth
of population in urban areas.
Outlining the strategy suggested
by him, Prof Bose said that there has
to be a definite plan of action for all
million plus cities as also for those
which are potentially in the million
plus category. Separate plans should
be drawn for strategic cities, important
industrial centres, .steel towns,
university towns, tourist or cultural
centres. The plan of action in each case
should be to make the cities liveable
by providing the basic infrastnIcture
and to save them from total
disintegration. This will also prevent
the~ed to migrate to the cities.
Prof P N Mari Bhat, Director,
Population Research Centre, Dharwad,
Kama taka, made an analysis of the
geographical pattern at fertility and its
implications for the future.
Prof Bhat said that his main
enquiry was into the great variations
in the levels of fertility in different
parts of the country. For his study, he
looked for new indicators, based on
district level data and on the basis of
his finds, he established eight zones in
the country corresponding to
distinguishable ranges in fertility,
pattern. These zones are not restricted
to States, but are spread over
contiguous areas of different States.
On the implications of the study
for the future, Prof Bhat said that if the
current estimated speed of fertility
decline is maintained, then India could
hope to reach the replacement level
only around 2020 AD. But it is likely
that replacement level may be
achieved earlier as the pace of decline
is expected to be faster in the coming
years with a snowballing effect.
Prof K B Pathak, Director,
International Institute for Population
Sciences, Bombay, dealt with the policy
implications of fertility and mortality
transition observed from National
Family Health Survey (NFHS) findings.
He said analysis of data shows
that different States in India are
indifferent stages of fertility transition.
It is also interesting to note that fertility
transition in different States began at
different levels of key determining
factors such as child survival and
female literacy. It is also noticed that
transition has been rapid in many
States in the first 10 years and then
slowed down, indicating that an
already existing demand in the first
phase having been satisfied, greater
efforts are needed to educate and
motivate the remaining hard core of
the population.
Prof Pathak underlined that
female literacy combined with paid job
opportunities for women should be our
first priority in policy formulations.
The policy is to be flexible so that it
takes care of local needs and
aspirations and utilises the local
infrastructure. In addition to female
literacy, reproductive health services
are also most essential for the survival
of the children and prevention of neo-
natal mortality. He said, it would be a
good strategy to select districts for
special intensive programmes on the
basis of objective necessity, to make
the best use of available time and
resources.
POLICY AND PLANS: Second Plenary Session
I he second plenary session,
chaired by Dr. V. A. Pai
- _Eanandiker,
_ Member,
Governing Board, PFI, was devoted to
policy and plans. The session fittingly
began with a scintillating Ctiscourse by
Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, eminent
agricultural scientist and Chairman,
Committee on National Population
Policy. He spoke on "Population
Programmes in the context of
Democractic Decentralisation
Allocation of Responsbilities and
Resources to Local Administrative
Bodies such as Nagarpalikas and
Panchayats."
According to him, in order to make
family p1annin3 a social movement the
main thrust should be on
::l~centTalil<l.tion in which the
rejuvenated Panchayati Raj stnIcture
can be given the responSibility of
implementing
the population
programme.
Dr SwarniPathan said, the expert
group on population policy has
suggested the preparation of socio-
demographic charters as the planning
tool for use at the grass-root level for
achieVing a transition to low birth and
death rates. The charters can be used at
the village, town or city levels like the
five-year plans at the central and state
levels. He said these charters are to be
developed with the twin goals of
population stabilisation and meeting
the unrnet minimum needs of the local
population on the one hand and
achieving harmony with nature by the
conservation and sustainable us!? of
natural resources, particularly land,
water and common property resources,
on the other.
~He said the resource question
should not stand in the way of
democratic decentralization as the gains
of such a system will more than
compensate the money to be otherwise
spent to bring' about the transition.
Mr T.V. Antony, former Chief
Secretary of Tamil Nadu, who is well
known for his drive and successes in
the field of family paInning, analysed
the programmes and policies adopted
in Tamil Nadu, which have yielded
spectacularresults in lowering the birth
rate in the State.
In Mr Antony's opinion, the
success in Tamil Nadu owes much to a
social reform movement pioneered and
established by a great leader "Periyar"
Ramaswamy, whose influence was
strongly felt all over Tamil Nadu
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(From left to right): Dr. M.S. Swaminathan (at the mike), Dr. Helen Simon, Dr. V.A. Pai Panandiker (Chairman),
Mr. T.V. Antony and Mrs. Adarsh Mishra
particularly by the people of the poorer been valid criticisms about target setting which can be utilised to launch any
strata.
and target fulfilment, leading to scheme. There is all round awareness
Successive
Tamil Nadu distortions of programmes.
about the need to control population
Governments have given support to
Mrs Misra said that the which requires to be translated into
the initial push given by Periyar for Government" is looking forward to action. Indications are that the couple
raising the age at marriage.
suggestions from experts and activists protection rate is increasing and the
Mr Antony said that Dr MGR about the indicators to measure total fertility rate is coming down. Tnere
Nutritious Meal Programme launched successes or failures to take corrective is considerable progress on the literacy
in 1982 gave a tremendous boost to measures,
where
necessary.
front.
health and family welfare programmes Government
would welcome
Dr Helen Simon then listed the
in the state.
systematic inputs for developing limitations of the Indian population
Summing up his presentation, Mr. alternative indicators. Mrs Misra programme. There is a top heavy
Antony said the success of Tamil Nadu emphasized that the Govemmenton its approach-the entire planning is done
can be attributed to dedicated
part was totally committed to centrally. With the female orientation
"involvement of the Government and integration of Health and Family given to the programme, male
equally dedicated administrative
Planning, provision of services, quality participa tion has virtually disappeared. (
support from all departments at all of care and responsiveness to client The emphasis on permanent methods
levels; a clear perception of the objective perspective. It is also convinced about has brought about many aberrations
and the message; the credibility of the the need to have differential approaches including the craze for target fulfilment.
Government in promoting the messa~e to tackle tile pro blems in different areas The choice is limited even now; training
among the people specially ofthe poorer mainly through the participation of the has always been inadequate and suffers
sections, and the welfare aspects of tile community at local levels.
by neglect. Health services take a
integrated programme, which easily
The last speaker of the second backseat and the overall services at any
appeal to the people.
session Dr Helen Simon, Director, rate are of poor quality and accessibility.
Mrs Adarsh Misra, Joint National Institute of Health and Family There is lack of coordination among
Secretary, Family Welfare in the Central Welfare made an assessment of the differerit programme managers .and
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, successes and failures of population workers.
outlined the current policies and programme planning.
Her advice was to rectify the
programmes in the area of Family
Dr Simon said that though the weaknesses atthe grassrootlevel where
Planning and Reproductive Health, as extent of reduction in the birth rate has planning should be backed up by sound
well as "thefuture trends.
not been to the desired level, the services. Dr Simon said all our
She said the Central Ministry achievements so far should not be programmes should attend to the
proposes to go entirely target free on brushed aside. A vast heal th and family quality of human development and not
family planning in 1996 as there has planning infrastruc ture has beencreated to the limited goal of population contro!'
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PRO UCTIVE HEALm: ThirdPlenary Session
. he third session, chaired by
Dr (Mrs) Banoo J Coyaji, an
eminent medico social activist,
Chairman, KEM Hospital Research
Centre, Pune and Member, Governing
Board, PFI, was devoted to
'Reproductive Health' which has been
universally accepted as a concept and
ideology following. the International
Conference on Population and
Development at Cairo in 1994,replacing
the former emphasis on fertility control
programmes.
reproductive health goals are well
defined and definitely desirable,
whether it is feasible to achieve them
within the resource constraints. Dr
Pachauri said there is need to prioritise
and develop a phased programme
starting with an essential or core
package of services which should be
adaptable to regional realities and local
conditions to serve specific groups.
The next speaker Mrs Ra~i
Chabbra, a woman activist and media
person, said the concept of women's
with urgency and earnestness by
sociologists. The consequences could
be disastrous unless the society wakes
up to put a stop to the rapidly growing
trends of proffiiscuity.
Mrs Chabbra said comprehertsive
primary health care should be
recognised as a birth right of every
citizen, of '(Vhich reproductive health
care is an integral part. Resources have
got to be found for this essential health
care, if necessary, through reallocation
of priorities.
Ghosh (at the mike), Prof. Ranjit Roy Chaudhury,
Dr.(Mrs.) Banoo J. Coyaji (Chairperson)
The first speaker, Dr Saroj
Pachauri, Asia Region Director of the
Population Council, New Delhi, dealt
with the significance of the shift in
emp aSls-from -family planning to
reproductive health. She said a major
challenge ahead is to translate the
concept into policies and programmes
at the national level which will ensure
that people have the ability to produce
and regulate their fertility; women can
go through pregnancy and child birth
safely; care is taken to safegaurd
maternal and infant survival and well-
being and sexual relations are free from
fear of pregnancy and of contracting
disease.
Dr Pachauri said to achieve these
objectives two essential requirements
would b~ a paradigm shift and
pad<ages of good quality services to
address reproductive health needs.
A big question is that while the
status and reproductive health does not
merely relate to health or fertility but is
linked with the growing desire of
women to be free and equal in all
spheres of human activity. !tis at times
sought to be linked or even equated
with sexuality, mainly in the western
sense of free sex. But sexuality in the
Indian or Asian sense has a much
deeper connotation which means an
emotional and psychological union of
the two opposite genders, men and
women, and, therefore, conforms to the
basic values of human existence. In the
Indian vision, this reestablishes the
primacy of the family as the basic unit
of human activity.
She, however, warned against the
dangers of distortion of attitudes and
concepts particularly in view of the·
onslaught of growing western influence
undermining our own value systems.
She said the question should be tackled
The next presentation came from·
Dr Shanti Ghosh, a noted pediatrician
and MCH consultant.
DrGhoshstrongly advocated that
reproductive health should be broad
enough to include all aspects of
women's health and not just be equated
with family planning. She asserted that
material health, nutrition and
education are important for the survival
and well-being of women in their own
right, and are key determinants of the
health and well-being of the child in
infancy.
Welcoming the thrust given to the
care of newborn babies under the Child
Survival and Safe Motherhood (CSSM)
programme, Dr Ghosh said it is a
crucial decision as almost 60% of irifant
mortality occurs in perinatal and neo
natal periods.
Cont. on page 12
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Dr. Nafis Sadik (Centre),
Executive Director,
, UNFPA, who addressed
a special session during
the National Seminar
with PFI Chairman
Dr. Bharat Ram (on
her right), PFI
Executive Director
Dr. K. Srinivasan (on
her left), and members
of the staff of the PFI
p, atio F
S~ f1~
1970-
t<; 5~
Mr. A.R. Antulay, Union
Minister for Health and
Family Welfare,
inaugurating the
National Seminar which'
was attended by a
distinguished gathering
of policy makers,
demographers, social
scientists, management
specialists and
representatives of
national and
international
organisations.
POPULATfOH FOUNDATION Of OOllil
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Lt•t n f I
~etekat~f;
95
Mr. Mehmood-ur
Rehman, Vice-Chancellor,
Aligarh Muslim University
in conversation with
Begum Bilkees Latif,
member of the
Governing Board of the
Population Foundation
of India
On behalf of the
members of the
Governing Board of the
PFI, Mr. A.R. Antulay
presented a Silver
Jubilee momento to its
Chairman,
Dr. Bharat Ram
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AT
SPECIA
The seminar held a special
evening session on December
19, 1995, to listen to Dr
Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of
UNFPA, who was on a short visit to
India.
Welcoming her, PFI Chairman,
Dr Bharat Ram recalled Dr Sadik's
notable contribution to the cause of
family planning and said that she
had consistently called attention to
the importance of involving women
directly in development policies and
programmes.
Dr Sadik conveying her best
wishes and greetings for the
Population Foundation of India on
its Silver Jubilee Celebrations, said
it was making laudable contribution
to the population programmes. She
recalled that the founder chairman
of PFI, the late JRD Tata was the
recipient of the UN Population
Award in 1992 in recognition of his
dedicated and visionary work in the
area of population and development.
Dr Sadik said she would seek
support to the Cairo agenda. The
important points from the ICPD
decisions are that empowerment of
women and improvement of their
Dr. Nafis Sadik
status are important· ends in
themselves and reproductive health
including family planning should be
promoted within that context. Family
planning programmes should not aim
at demographic goals but at providing
reproductive health care. Women's
rights are not to be violated by
incentives or coercion, directly or
indirectly and there should no
compulsion. Dr Sadik said be the
emphasis now will be on quality of
services provided and indicators
should be developed to measure such
quality. Referring to the concern
SSES
expressed by some quarters to the
assertion of female sexuality in
reproductive health, Dr Sadik said
strong public awareness has to be
created so that it is not equated
with promiscuity to encourage
adolescents
to indulge in
irresponsible sex.
She expressed happiness that
some of the decisions of the Cairo
Conference have already been
reflected in the Indian programme
such as gradual withdrawal of
targets and integration of health and
family planning programmes. She
said India is still a long way to go
in solving its population problem
though there have been remarkable
achievements in isolated patches.
She was happy to note that the
corporate sector, industrialists and
NGOs have· come forward to
support the Government's efforts
and some industrialists have
earmarked a part of their profit for
social development programmes.
This is a welcome development and
we shall try to encourage the model '
elsewhere, she said.
MANAGEMENT AND PR GRAMME
ADMINISTRATION: Fourth Plenary Session
The opening session of the second
day of the seminar was marked
for discussion of issues related
to management of programme
administration. The session was chaired
by Mr S P Godrej, a noted industrialist
and environmentalist.
Opening the deliberations Dr
Nirmala Murthy of the Indian Institute
of Management, Bangalore, argued that
with reproductive health forming the
core of the family planning pro gramme,
there has to be a radical change in
programme management outlook.
The shift in emphasis in the
approach called for a) systematising
service delivery, b) client satisfaction,
c) involvement of local functionaries
and communities, and d) prOViding
training and logistic support to workers.
The issues which the programme
managers have to tackle are derived
out of these needs. On service quality,
some of the determining factors are
choice of methods, information and
guidance, technical competence ofstaff,
follow-up services and screening to find
contra indications.
Dr Murthy emphasised the
success of NGOs in adopting correct
approaches through their closeness to
the local community and dedication to
service. She pleaded for much greater
interaction and coordination of official
agencies and NGOs to rise to the
challenges of reproductive health and
establishing credibility with the
clientele. Dr Murthy said the key to
improve quality of service provided by
official agencies is to find ways to
increase accountability in the system.
The chairman of the session then
invited Dr Rashmi Mayur of the
Institute of environmental and Urban
Studies, Bombay,'to speak on the impact
of environment and resource
constraints on population policies.
Dr Mayur presented an alarming
fu ture of the country under the twin
onslaught of run away growth of
population and fast depletion of
resources.
DrMayursaid the problemofover
consumptionand waste must be realised
in the context of environment-resource
relationship. The task of saving the
world was too big to be left to
Govern.rnents and people must take
lead. Women, in particular, should take
the lead in the family planning
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(From left to right): Dr. Dileep V Mavalankar, Dr. K.B. Sahay, Mr. S.P. Godrej (Chairman),
Dr. Nirmala Murthy and Dr. Rashmi Mayur
movement.
The next speaker was Dr K B
Sahay of Indian Institute ofTechnolo gy,
Delhi, who is a well-known writer on
population and allied subjects.
Dr Sahay said he is not in
agreement with the Swaminathan
Committee report, which takes the
programme away from pointed
attention to family planning. He also
disagreed with the views expressed by
the noted economist Dr Amartya Sen,
who said that the population issue
should be centred around development
of women and there should be no place
for disincentives or coercion in the
programme. Dr Sahay lent his support
to_the Trishul appraoch advocated by
Ramkrishna Hegde in his 1st JRD Tata
Memorial lecture, which is based on
three planks (1)information, education
and persuasion, (2) incentive to
acceptors, (3) disincentive to non
acceptors.
Asa desirablethrustto population
policies, Dr Sahay suggested that
population control programmes should
be delinked from. political parties or
Governments. The task should be given
to an autonomous body like the Election
Commission, which canactfreely in the
best interest of the programme.
Dr Dileep V Mavlankarpresented
a paper on the principles of programme
administration and management
needed to achieve the goals of
reproductive health programmes.
He said there are known
inadequacies in the existing system but
efficient management could get the best
out of even this system and eXlbting
resources
through
proper
accountability, supervision, training
and commitement.
Dr Mavlankar proved his points
through a slide demonstration showing
the actual conditions obtaining in the
field and the obvious differences
between poorly managed and well
managed health centres. The
shortcomings
of programme
management pointed out will have to
be removed to establish a better
delivery system and facilities to render
quality services, through sound
management
techniques
and
appropriate leadership.
Quality can also be improved by
creating consumer awareness among
clients and legal pressures.
*****
POliTICAL SUPPORT: Fifth Plenary Session
he fifth and concluding plenary
session of the two-day Seminar
was on the subject "Views on
the Po pula tion Problems of the
Country: Role of the Political Parties".
It Was chaired by the Vice Chancellor
of Aligarh Muslim University, Mr
Mehmood-Ur-Rehman LA.5. The
p,
parnclpants were Dr Ashok Mitra
P M.P
,
.R''~'J;uj','>
C:~bha·
uu "
Mr
V asan t
Sat 11e'
senior leader of the Congress; Mr
Upendra, Rajya Sabha M.P and
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing
Committee on HRD and Health and
Family Welfare; and Mr Sikander
Bakht, Leader of the Opposition in the
Rajya Sabha.
Speaking first Dr Ashok Mitra
said the problem was of vital
importance but he found an
undercurrent ot snobbery in lh~
utterances and analysis on the issue.
Cri tcising the exis ting family
welfare programme he said it was top-
heavy with an urban bias. A
bureaucracy-led programme is marked
by wastage.
He said the programme should
be left in charge of the panchayats with
greater representation from women.
Dr. Mitra said the panchayats should
be at the forefront of the family
pla.nning programm@ and let the
bureaucracy and implementing
agencies follow their lead.
Mr. Vasant Sathe said family
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(From left to right): Or. Ashok Mitra, Shri Vasant Sathe, Mr. Mehmood-ur-Rehmari (Chairman),
Shri P. Upendra and Or. K. Srinivasan
planning programmes must be linked
with economic development,
particularly of the poor sections of the
.society.
Mr. Sathe said the solution to the
problem should be found through a
programme based on three major
planks-women's education, improved
health care and economic development
of the poorer sections, the majority of
which were in the rural areas. The
programmes are inter-linked. An
educated woman is an agent of social
change and an economically self-reliant
woman can transform the total outlook
of the society.
About economic development Mr
Sathe emphasised that in India, the
development should take place in the
rural areas, in the own habitat of the
people, to turn them into self-reliant
units through self-generating economy
and to prevent exodus to the urban
areas.
Mr Sathe said the panchayati raj
institutions should be provided with
all possible fiscal and other incentives
to implement the family planning
programme to ensure its success. There
cannot be any half-hearted or
compartmentalised sol~tion. Both
incentives and disincentives could be
tried in a judicious manner.
The next speaker Mr P Upendera
~xpressed his doubt that despite the
-videspread anxiety reflected in policy
statements, political utterances or
theme papers, the country as a whole
was not really serious about the
dangers of the growing population .
Speaking from his experience as
the Chairman of Parliamentary
Standing Committee for Health &
Family Welfare Ministry, Mr Upendra
said there was total mismatch of
budget allocation with the policy
objecti'Tes and programme goals. On
the other hand, the actions, manifestos,
policies and programmes of political
parties do not really reflect the worry,
even though there might be casual
references to the problem of population
here and there.
He said the problem is so acute
that we have to proceed towards the
one-child norm for a family. Special
programmes will be needed for chronic
backward areas such as those in the
Hindi speaking states in northern India
where family planning is yet to make
a dent. The Parliamentary Committee
has suggested that a separate
Technology Mission for this region be
constituted. The idea has been accepted
but concrete steps are yet to be taken.
The last speaker of the session
Mr Sikander Bakht struck a different
note by saying that the population
problem is a national issue which
should not be confined to a political
issue.
Explaining why he prefers the
population issue not to be handled by
political parties, he said that all parties
unfortunately think in terms of narrow
political interests - securing of votes
and capturing of power - and not in
terms of national interest.
Mr Bakht said the reality is that
the alarming growth in population has
to be controlled at all cost. Citing two
Asian examples he said family
planning has succeeded both in Japan
and China. Japan today is so cost-
benefit conscious that the people do
not feel interested in raising families.
In China, the methods are different so
are the conditions. Both give rise to
paradoxical situations which we
should avoid and work out our own
model based on a rational approach.
Delivering the valedictory
address, the Deputy ChaiTman of the
Rajya Sabha, Dr (Mrs) Najma Heptulla,
said the population problem should
be tackled on a war-footing. She said
all political parties should make a
commitment to the success of the
population control measures. She said
population, development, status of
women, environment all form part of
a comprehensive issue which poses a
challenge before the nation.
Dr Heptulla urged all political
parties to endorse the Swaminathan
Committee Report which outlines the
policies and programmes needed to
tackle the problem of population.
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2 Pages 11-20 |
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2.1 Page 11 |
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ummarising the proceedings of the two-day seminar,
Dr K Srinivasan, Executive Director, PFI, recalled that the
Health and Family Welfare Minister
Mr A R Antulay had asked the participants, in
his inaugural speech, to constitute a
committee to guide the Government in
formulating and implementing policies for
population programmes, which he said was
at the cross-roads now. The Minister had
also expressed the opinion that non-
governmental organisations should now take
the lead to ensure success for the
programmes.
Dr Srinivasan said the Minister's
concern was well appreciated, butthe seminar
feltthatthere was no need to form a separate
committee in view of the work already done
by the Committee on National Population
Policy headed by Dr M S Swaminathan. The
report of that Committee would be taken as the basis for policy
directions on which the strategy of action in population and
reproductive health would be worked out for implementation.
The Foundation will playa nodal role in this task.
Dr Srinivasan said a few major points have clearly emerged
out of the deliberations at the five plenary sessions. A fertility
transition is already taking place in the country, though the pace
is uneven in different States. Taking aUfactors into consideration,
the goal of achieving replacement level ot fertility may come
around 2010 AD. The pace of changes in female literacy and
infant mortality rates in recent years
suggest a rapid fertility transition. Women
are at the centre of the transition but
several shortcomings in services, quality
and training, apart from socio-economic
issues stand in the way of a faster
transition. There was unanimity that
programme management should be the
responsibility ofthe local self-government
institutions, particularly the Panchayats,
who should be given adequate powers
and financial support to work out and
implement programmes to suit local
needs. Itwas also agreed that fora country
of such diversity as India and with the
reality of regional imbalances, there
cannot be one macro-policy for the whole
country to suit aU demographic differences. Policies should be
area-specific taking into account local conditions and needs of
the people. There are conceptual conflicts arising in recent years,
between the macro and micro level concerns and solutions to the
population problems. The fast depletion of many non-renewable
resources such as water, is posing a great problem at the micro
level in different areas which may not admit of macro level
solution.
ATED POPULATIO DEVELOPMENT ACTIV TV
GHAZIABAD : Six Practical Packages
The Governing Board of the Population Foundation of
India (PFI) at its meeting held on September 20, 1995, had
taken a decision to undertake family planning and
reproductive health programmes in an integrated manner
with joint collaboration between the Foundation, Industry
and Government in two districts - Ghaziabad in D.P. and
Kota in Rajasthan. ('FOCUS', Oct-Dec, 1995).
Irrpursuance of this decision, the Executive Director of
the PFI, Dr K Srinivasan, initiated urgent action to make a
tho~ough assessment of the existing situation as also to
pro~ec~the future needs of the population with a view to
achievmg rapidly the goals of reproductive health care and
re~u~tion in fertility level. Accordingly, a Needs Assessment
MIsSIon for Ghaziabad District was constituted which
comprised Dr K Srinivasan (Chairman), Mr 0 P Bhasin,
Programme Officer, PFI (Member-Secretary) and Mr T V
Ant~ny, formerly Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu; Dr BD Misra,
AdVIser, MODE Research Pvt. Ltd; Dr B R Patil, Senior
Consultant PFI; and Dr Ram Babu Chief Medical Officer
Ghaziabad, as members.'
,
. Th's Mission after intensive field visits and thorough
~IScussi?ns with the concerned functionaries, has suggested
SIX fractl<;ill t1ilckage5 forirnplementation by the FOW1dation.
Ih h•'''I.>''',f,, ,.,11ese pac k'ages IS to put thel"r Imp 1ementatio. n
In ti1l' hands of the elected representatives at the grassroots
level after giving them necessary training.
While the first package envisages one-day orientation
programme for about 450 village Pradhans and women
Pradhans/ members ofPanchayats, the second includes three-
day training for village Dais, and the third aims at two-day
orientation-cum-training progranlmes for ANMs, Midwives,
Community Health Volunteers, etc.
These training programmes are intended to be
conducted in small batches and at convenient venues.
The fourth package will enable each village to set up
a Zachha Bachha Kendra with land and the building and
some seed money being provided by the Village PanchayaL
In this Centre, trained Village Dais would provide necessary
maternity related services under the supervision of woman
Panchayat Pradhan/ member. The Industry will make its
contribution by providing professional support to a cluster
of 20 villages through a mobile health service. The package
also suggests a face-lift to existing sub-centres.
The purpose of the fifth package is to establish a model
for reproductive health and family welfare services which
could be replicated elsewhere.
The sixth package envisages the distribution of suitable
lEe ffiilteriill for community mobilisation as also for use by
the Literacy Mission, Labour Unions for industrial workers,
and Mass Media.
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In so far as Kota district of Rajasthan is concemed,
autOl'\\.omy coupling this with a sound and transparent
the Need Assessment Mission comprised Mr Sagar C Jain,
system of performance-based accountability.
Prof. University of North Carclina (Chairman) and NIr S (0) Developing Mutually agreed upon Health/Population
D Gupta, Dean Indian Institute of Health Management
goals, Service Programme, Indicators of Pertonnance
Research and Mr T C Jain, Hony. Adviser, Rajasthan
and Modus Operandi: While developing the goals,
Chamber of Commerce & Industry, as members.
priorities and the programme for the Kota district,
The Report of the Mission is very forthright and candid
the PFI will need to give special attention to : (i)
in pinpointing the weaknesses of the existing system. At
translating the concept of Reproductive Health into
the same time, it outlines several very good reasons for
a concrete package of services; (ii) developing a sound
hope.
system of measuring programme performance and
While laying utmost emphasis on improving the
accountability; (iii) developing a concrete definition
Health and Family Welfare delivery and administration
of Quality, and clear and simple indices for measuring
system in Kota district, the Report offers a broad outline
it; (iv) developing an effective inexpensive and user-
of the task that needs to be done, as follows:
friendly system of Health/Demographic Information
and Surveillance; (v) developing a sound model of
(a) Developing a strategic partneIShip with. Govenunent:
Public/Private partnership; and (Vi) developing a
For the correction of the present system, a formal
work-culture.
agreement with the highest level of the Government (c) Instituting a System of Implementation and
is critical; and by this agreement, the State Government
Monitoring: This activity is regarded as critical to
should, inter alia, allow the Kota district operational
the success of the whole enterprise.
The Governing Board of the Population Foundation of India held its 96th meeting at Bombay on February9, 1996 underthe cj1airmanship of Dr Bharat
Ram. In the picture (from left to right) : Dr. VA Pai Panandiker, Dr. B.K. Anand, Dr. Banoo J. Coyaji, Begum Bilkees Latif, Dr. Bharat Ram, Dr. K
Srinivasan, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Mrs. Avabai B. Wadia, Prof. Ranjit Roy Chaudhury and Mr. B.G. Verghese.
Third Plenmy Session (Cont. from page 5)
The last speaker of the session was Prof Ranjit Roy
Chaudhury, Emeritus Scientist of the National Institute of
Immunology and Member, Goveming Board, PFI. He dealt
with the subject of reproductive health aspects of
contracep tive me thods.
He said ideally the man-woman relationship should be
based on sharing of responsibility, but the p,redominance of
women's contraceptive methods strikes at the root of this
desired concept.
Explaning through a visual presentation the state of
research with new methods of contraception, he said there
are chances that in the next five years neW methods may be
developed which will be compa tible wi th repro ductive heal th
of women. But he was not much hopeful of developing
methods for men or herbal remedies for the next 10 years.
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Editorial Direction & Guidance : Dr. K. Srinivasan
Editorial Consultant : J.L. Saaz