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Focus 1990 April - June |
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Bulletin of Family Planning Foundation Vol. IV, No.2 April-June. 1990
The State of the World Population Report, 1990
INDIA HEADING FOR A DUBIOUS DISTINCTION
India may have the dubious distinction of being the world's
most populous nation-overtaking China-by the year 2030 and
the world population by the end of the next century is expected
to cross 14 billion.
This has been brought out in the State of the World Popu-
lation Report, 1990 released by the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA). Incidentally, quite a few earlier population
projections ,of the UNFPA seem to have gone awry.
World population is growing
faster than expected and there
will be 6.51 billion people by
the year 2000 instead of 6.1 bil-
lion predicted in 1986. By the
year 2005, there will be 8.467
billion people inhabiting this
planet.
The UNFP A has corrected
its earlier projections of the
world population stabilising
around 10 billion, and now
fears that if significant ferti-
lity rates reduction do not take
place in the current decade,
the figure may eventually be
around 14 billion.
India's population may hit
1.446 billion by the year 2005-
216 million more than the pro-
jected 1.29 billion. In Pakistan
the population will reach 267
million by the year 2005,
jnstead of the 210 million. as
predicted earlier.
F.P.F. Symposium on
World Population
Day
As a part of the
observance of the World
Population Day on July 11,
1990, Family Planning
Foundation is organising a
symposium on the theme
'Family Welfare in the 90s'.
The symposium will focus
attention on major popu-
lation concerns with a view
to influencing current think-
ing in favour of more ex-
plicit political commitment,
radical departure from old
strategies of family welfare
programmes, more purpose-
ful application of social
communication strategies,
and co-relating development
policies to population and
environment strategies.
Deteriorating Environment
The report has expressed the
fear that this near trebling of
the current world population
could lead to a catastrophic
threshold for global environ-
ment. It says that the world
overcame a· food crisis in the
S6\\ventics through a green
revolution and it no longer
seems likely that it will run
out of minerals or sources of
energy. But tae new crisis of
a deteriorating environment
is posing a more difficul t
challenge.
World temperature is already
0.6 degrees celsius warmer than
a 100 years ago and. scientists
have predicted a further rise
by 1.5 to 2.8 degrees by the
middle of the next century.
This could lead to a rise in the
sea level by seven to 67 centi-
metres and could affect and
displace people living in the
coastal areas. The changing
global climate could also hit
food production in north Ame-
rican mid-West which now
meets a large percentage of
shortages in the rest of the
world.
Since 1950, world population
has doubled, but the car popu-
lation has increased seven
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times over, and is expected to
grow at least twice as fast as
the human population. Natur-
ally, this would mean an
increase in the per capita
emissions of the greenhouse
gases from the developing
countries which have till now
contributed little to creating
this problem.
High Birth Rates
The report predicts the
sharpest increase in population
in Africa which is expected to
reach a growth rate of three
per cent in the Nineties. While
population growth rate in east
Asia has fallen to" 1.3 per cent,
South Asia-.isstill growing at
the rate of 2.3 per cent and in
West Asia, it is a high 2.7 per
cent. In 15 countries, 13 of
them in Africa, birth rates
actually rosein the tw-odecades
from 1960~65'to 1980-85. At
the same' time in 23 countries,
the birth rate fell by more
than two per cent.
While globally the average
number of children each fer-
tile woman would bear in her
life time has fallen from al-
most five in 1960-65 to just
over 3.4 now, the drop in deve-
loping countries during the
same period was from over 6
to 3.9. In the industrialised
West, the growth is below
replacement level with each
fertile woman bearing only
1.58 children. More than 95
per cent of the total population
growth in the world in the
next 35 years will be in Asia,
Africa and Latin America.
A Poisoned Inheritance
If measures are not taken to
improve the quality of life for
the one billion poor constitut-
ing the lower 20 per cent of
the world population, if more
money is not invested in
human resource development,
and if the environment crisis
is not managed, today's children
will be handed a poisoned in-
heritance, the UNFPA report
warns.
Poised for a Poisoned
Inheritance
* With three babies born
every second or a quarter
million every day, the
population increase in
the 1990s will be greater
than in any decade of
).1istory.
* As the world fights a
losing battle to restrain
high birth rates, the new
babies mostly in poor
countries seem to be
"eating away at the
earth itself".
* More than 90 per cent
of population growth is
taking place in the deve-
loping countries which
can ill afford it.
* The "top billion" people
living in the industrial-
ised countries, consume
by far the largest share
of resources of the earth.
* If the environment crisis
is not managed, we will
be handing our children
a poisoned inherita1'lce.
Asia-Pacific Reg~on
Heading for
M,egacities
The already crowded and pol':
luted cities of Asia face rapid
population increases that will
cause worse problems in the
decade ahead, says a UN study.
The study of the UN Econo-
mi'C and Social Commission for
Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) said
most of the world's 'megaci:ties'
will be in the Asia-Pacific
region by the year 2000.
The 48-nation commission
defines urban areas with more
than 10 million people as
megacities.
Bombay, India, with a popu-
lation of 11.79 million, and
Shanghai, China, with 11.96
million, are among the pre-
sent Asian megacities, said
Mr. Mahmmed Rahmatullah,
chief of the commission's Hu-
man Settlement Unit.
Inaugurating the sixth workshop on "Family Welfare in the Organised
Sector" at Bangalore, Dr. Prasanna Kumar, Additional Director of
Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Karnataka, spoke of the need for
greater involvement of voluntary agencies and industrial units in the
national family welfare programmes. The workshop was organised
jointly by the Family Planning Foundation and the Federation of
Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
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Population Control Programmes
How to, Break the lChakraviuh' of Inaction
It is now an in-thing to extend National Front
mouthfuls of support to the
Population Control or Family
Planning Programmes. Yet
when it comes to implement-
ing them with a sense of mis-
sion, we seem to be caught in
a 'Chakraviuh' of inaction.
While population control will
be brought about by a resolute
multi-pronged endeavour, the
National Front believes that
development ,is the best con-
traceptive. The present target
approach in family planning
President R. Venkataraman will be revised to promote and
ernphasized the importance of popularise use of contraceptive
population stabilisation in his methods, as well as provide.
eve of the Republic Day address suitable incentives and disin-
to the Nation while the. Prime centives. The problem of
Minister V. P. Singh in a recent population growth will be
meeting of the Planning Com- tackled by making various
mission, is reported to have efforts to create conditions
told its members that they where a small family becomes
must make it clear to the meaningful to the people. The
country that population policy focus will be on reduction in
can no longer "drift". He infant mortality, women's edu-
called for an urgent revision cation and employment. The
of the family planning pro- National Front will endeavour . The new Minister of State
grammes, burdened by large to bring down the rate of for Health and Family Wel-
and often overlapping bureau- population growth from 2.1% fare, Mr. Rasheed Masood has
cracies, and asked the members to 1.2% by 2000 A.D.
expressed concern over the
to find out ways to cede res-
ponsibility to local panchayats
Indian National Congress (I)
neglect of the family welfare
.rrogramme over the last de-
and voluntary organisations.
Congress Party and its cade and said as long as he,
Most recently, addressing the leadership is committed to the was at the helm of affairs in
23rd meeting of the Asian De- expansion and improvement the ministry, he would make
velopment Bank, the Finance in the quality of service of every effort t.o bring down the
Minister, Prof. MadhuDanda- primary health facilities. population in the cou)1try to
vate observed that 'Population Toward this end women and "manageable proportions."
"-
,.'V
control should be central to
our development thrust', since
its growth has had a dismal
impact on the incidence of
poverty ...
It is heartening to note that
the subject of Family Planning
had found .. pertinent mention
in the election manifestoes of
some major political parties,
viz" Congress (I), National
children will receive special
attention.
The Congress Government
initiated for ·the first time a
Family Welfare Programme
which emphasises voluntary
ctmtrol of c:hild birth.
We will -continue to imple~
ment with full vigour those
programmes of women welfare
which promote the small family
concept as well as the spacing
All the country's problems
were either directly or in-
directly, linked to population
explosion, Mr. Masood said.
He strongly believed that the
key to a nation's success, pros-
peri ty and well-being lay in
the small-family norm. He
said he would. soon discuss the
problem with the officials
concerned and come'!lp with
Front, the B.J.P. etc. The rele- of children. Special incentives "feasible" programmes to con-
vant excerpts reproduced .below will be offered so that the girl tain the popUlation. .A small
from their manifestoes reveal child receives proper education
the extent of their commit- and care in the family.
ment and the way they wanted
family not only benefited the
nation, but also an _individual,
in terms of economic' pros-
to proceed to implement this Bharatiya Janata Party
crucial programme on whiCh The BJP recognises
the
peri ty.. This needed to be
,driven home, he said.
hinges the very destiny of the growing concern of the people --Indian Express. -April 28, 1990
nation.
(Continued on next page)
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(Continued from page 3)
into a torrent of meaningful the varying characteristics {)f.
about the dangers of a demo- action.
the various parts of the coun-
graphic explosion and distor-
NOl~ when the Union Cabinet try, there continued to be a
tions created by the mishandl- has approved the approach paper similar approach in the pro-
ing of the population control to the 8th Five-Year Plan. can the gramme
throughout
the
programmes by the Con- nation hope for adequate guide- country.
gress (I) government. The lines tor the much-needed changes District-level trends in couple
BJP is committed to the policy in the current population pro- protection rates '(CPR) vary
of responsible parenthood and grammes and strategies?
widely in performance leveis
believes that population con-
within and across states, the
trol programme should be
given top priority while formu-
lating national plans. It ex-
RUNAWAY POPULATION
GROWTH
study said.
Citing an instance, it pointed
out that in March 1988, the
pects all sections of Indian
We as a developing lowest CPR was 15 per cent
community to fully participate
nation will be being un- for Barmer in Rajasthan.
in these programmes. The BJP
realistic if we do not P1.y against the highest of 71.8 pe~
will-
adequate attention to the cent for Chandrapur in Maha-
I. Strive for creating a continuing increase in our rashtra.
national consensus for population. The problem of
The total marital fertility
adopting a National
unemployment and the rate (TMFR)-a measure of
Population Policy and if misery that accompanies it fertility-also shows a wide
necessary to take suitable
are a direct result of run- inconsistency. The. lowest
legislative measures for away population growth. !MFR of two is in Alleppey
it;
The Government at the m Kerala and the highest of
2. Make Family Planning
Centre and in the States 7.1 is in Jalore in Rajasthan.
information and faci- must, with the cooperation
With such divergences a
lities available to the .of voluntary agencies, make region-based approach to fa~ily
people. Involve all vol- family limitation a peoples' p!anning is more likely to pro-
untary, social and cul- programme. Only then can VIde better insights and allow
tural organisations in
the rise in population be greater scope for area' and tar-
creating an awareness
for adopting family plan-
contained. If this important get-specific interventions, the
problem does not receive "Study said.
ning as a' way of life;
the attention it needs from
At the national level, a'
3. Perform Vasectomy and the citizens and the State, region-specific approach would
Tubectomy operations
free, and encourage all
all the progress achieved
by us at great expense and
mean targets within specific
contexts.
methods including herbal
effort will get nullified.
The researchers grouped the
and bio-rhythmic;
4. Help childless couples
-President R. Venkataraman
~50 districts in the country
mto 16 zones according to effi-
with medical assistance
ciency in. levels of family
to have a child;
planning efforts by taking the
5. Integrate the family Study Recommends
CPR and the TMFR as indi-
planning programme with Area-wise Approach
other community welfare
cators. The zones were then
separated into four regions
programmes; and
comprising districts with com-
6. Pursue vigorously for Population control efforts in mon characteristics.
the voluntary adoption India require a region-specific
In the first region fall dis-
of the "two children" rather than a national approach tricts like those in Uttar Pra-
norm and evolve a sys- to achieve "a bre8.1cthrough". desh, Madhya Pradesh and
tem of incentives and According to a recent study Rajasthan, where the pro-
disincentives for achiev- by two population research gramme has hardly been effec-
ing the long term demo- experts of the Baroda-based tive and the fertility rate hIgh.
graphic goals.
Operations Research Group, This "hardcore" scenario exists
There appears to be near the 4QJ-year-old family plan- in 117 districts in the country
consensus among the political
parties insofar as the need for
Family Planning programme
is concerned. Time has come
ning programme in India has
not produced results commen-
surate with the' investments
made.
which harbours about 27.2 per
cent of the total population.
For such districts, a drastic
review of investments and
to turn this flood of rhetoric
The experts said, in spite of
(Continued on page 8)
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How to Involve People in the Health
From April 16 to 19, 1990, the Ford Foundation organised
in Goa a workshop 'strategic Action in Health: The NGO
Experience' which provided an opportunity for an intensIve
inter-action between the leaders of the Health Programmes being
run by the NGO's (their experiences were earlier documented
in a serie~ of 12 publications titled Anubhav series) and supported
by the Ford Foundation, and the programme planners, service
providers and researchers. Mr. Darryl D'Monte, one of the many
eminent national and international pa.rticipants, presents here a
beautiful account of the Workshop where field experiences were
shared, key programmes and policy issues discussed and lessons
drawn for wider application.
Delivery System?
Volunt&ry health gl'OUpS
paved the way in Maharashtra
in the seventies. with experi-
ments in Jamkhed, Mandw:1
Uran and Miraj. As the Ford
Foundation points out, these
were characterised by profes-
sionalism and an involvement
with a project-as against an
area in a government-sponsored
scheme. In other words, the
approach w~s "client-directed",
as distinct from the paternal-
Although the Central gov-
ernment has recognised the
importance of health by sub-
scribing to the WHO decla-
ration, "Health For All By
2000", it is generally given
short shrift. Only 1.8 per cent
of the total outlay in the
seven th Plan was on heal tho
In spite of this, the national
infant mortality rate has been
declining from 140 in 1975 to
around 95 a decade later. Of
course there is tremendous
variation between urban and
rural areas. According to a
1979 survey, only 42 per cent
of infants who died in villages
were treated by a medical
practitioner, as against two-
thirds in cities.
The government has relied
en a tiered delivery system in
Jural are&s, which has at its
apex the district hospital and
at the base primary health
centres and sub-centres. If it
has become common place to
berate the public health sys-
tem in cities, one should spare
a thought for the rural popu-
lation, where a primary health
centres has to meet the needs
of 30,000 people and doctors-
not to mention medicines-are
conspicuous by their absence.
Seamy Scenario
However, one heartening fea-
ture in an otherwise bleak
scenario is the emergence of
many voluntary or non-govern-
Mrs. Avabai B. Wadia and Dr. Banoo J. Coyaii, members of the
Family Planning Foundation with some of the participants in the
Goa Workshop.
mental organisations (NGOs).
There are an estimated 9,500
such agencies in rural areas
and half that number in cities,
some of which deliver health
to the poor. The Ford Founda-
tion has documented the ex-
perience of a dozen of the best
groups in a series of pamphlets
titled, appropriately, Anubhav.
ism of the state as 'prOVider".
In all the Anubhav projects,
the infant mortality rate has
dropped appreciably. Thus, in
a volu'ntary ~cheme for plan-
tation workers of Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Kerala, it has
declined from 119 deaths in
1971 to just 48 in 1984. Sewa-
Rural in Gujarat had to cope
It recently held a workshop in
Goa where health professionals
from these NGOs, as well as
experts from several countries,
reviewed the work of these
"alternative" health delivery
systems.
with 164 deaths in 1980-82,
which was brought down to
61 in barely three years. The
outcome of the number of
births per thousand people is
mixed. The KEM hospital in
Pune haS, in fact, not been able
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to lower this rate at all by its on which rural families spend every group preaches-and
ru ral health scheme, while the the most, people rely on private sonre pra'ctise. For instance,
South Indian Planters' Asso- practitioners, whether they the Child In Need Institute
ciation has virtually halved it. are bad or indifferent, rather has convinced pregnant women
Among other things, this re- than the state system.
that the well-being of their
flects the relative importance
attached to family planning as
distinct from health services
per se.
Groups' Involvement
One of the most striking
sllccesses of these groups has
been their involvement with
It is not as if the govern-
ment is unaware of the need
for rural health workers, who
are more in tune with the as-
pirations of t~e community. In
1977, following the WHO
Alma-Atadeclaration regard-
ing "Health _ For All", the
government instituted a community'
babies depends not on some
medicine but on a basic intake
of inexpensive greens. For
that matter, they can cure an
infant's diarrhoea by giving
him a pinch of salt and sugar
in water. known in official
parlance as "oral rehydration
therapy" .
the community. Instead of health workers scheme, in which Pills and' Poverty
depending on a functionary almost 3,00,000 such functionaries
agpointed by, th; state, whose were trained. Of course, the
irwolyementig' often- perrunc- results have not been satisfactory
tory-iif the health worker is both because these workers were
present, to begin' Wlth!--=-the largely male and because they
groups h,ave commandeered lacked motivation, as well as any
the services of village' heads,' kind of accountability both to
r~tired school teachers and the their superiors as also to the peo-
lfke. Since women concern pie they were meant to serve.
piemselves with the" health of At the same time, it must
their families, they aTe roped be borne in mind that the rea';'
into. ~elivering 1t wherever l,@nthat.JiGOs are so success"
p.ossIble.
, '-."ful is bee.use they are small
However, there is an absolute
socio-economic hedrock' below
which no health delivery sys
tern, however efficient, will
reach. To put it somewhat
rhetorically, pills cannot always
work against poverty... .In the
Anubhav schemes. the" infant
mortality rate has generally
fallen in .the first five years,
after which the decline is gra-
dually arrested. Heads of
these NGOs have tried to com-
;'This is "why ill' schemes 'like ,. and •.. limited to a restricted bat this process by initiating
i11o"" Pachod, Aurangabad dis- arel.- If they were to take on what are euphemistically refer-
trict, Maharashtra, or :r;unby a whole block or a district, r.ed to !is "income-generating
th,~ Child In Need Institute on they would be plagued with activities'", sometimes through '
tIii,' 01.ltskil'tsof ~alcutta, dais all the problems which the mahila mandals which obtain
and 'even untt~d
house- government fa~es. The KEM loans fora wide range of eco-
wives have' beefidial'ght to per- was asked to do precisely this nomic activities.
form such elementary' but and had to turn down the In the final analysis, there-
essential tasks as- monitoring Maharashtra government's re- fore, health groups may be
the weight gain of newly-born quest. Hence, it is apparent forced to take on the much
infants' iiia·villa~;'Owihchcan
that these schemes are not all larger task of promoting deve-
literally make the 'difference. that easily replicable on a lopment. The links are obvi-
between life and death. As larger scale. As a c6tollary, ous: for. instance, since nearly
this writer has himself observ- instead of being seen as alter- all disease in villages is water-
edat these projects, the' sense native systems, only their borne, any scheme which 'pro-
of self-esteem which> a ,w-oman methods should be adopted vides greater access to clean
gains enables her cto ..plaY'a elsewhere.
water will lower mortality
much larger role ..,in . ,the Those who head these NGOs
community.
also' realise that their success
The Planters', AS$ociation may, paradoxically; prove their
has now got some 7,000 workers 'own undoing. The greatertheb:
who link profess,ionals I With outreach, the more people may
the community. Health NGOs become dependent 'on' suchser-
thu's know whe:n.th~y'ate d~ihg 'V,'ic~s,.And since these groups
sornethinglhat . g~es""~gliiri,St are unfortunately aU too reliant
the grain. .~Y" cqfitta$t,.pn- either' on charismatic leaders
maryhealth .cehtreS .an4.$ub- 6r funding, or both, their sur-
centres operateoh _a~'tak~:..it-<>r:,vival is sometimes 'in question.
leaVe-it" basis~': Alth(}llgh Such dependency, ofcqurse, is
rates much r:qore successfully.
Again, providing nutrition to
expectant mothers may help a
child survive,- as the Anubhav
projects demonstrate, but if
the general level of calorie in-
take in the entire community
rises, the results will be far
more dramatic: Once this
happens, health will no longer
merely be a measure of deve-
lopment; but a means as well.
health is-afte'r food-the itern at variance With what almost -Times of India, May lI, 1990
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Neied for -Basic Chang:es in
Implementing F.W. Programmes
Dr. Moni Nag, an internationally renowned population
expert-he is a Senior Associate at the Population Council, New
York-gives some very practical and useful suggestions for
improving" the performance of the Family Welfare Programmes
in the Eighth Five-Year Plan. We reproduce below excerpts of
his recently published article.
The urgency of the need for
a faster decline of birth rate
through in\\;reased use of con-
traceptives and higher age at
marriage requires some imme-
diate changes in the family
planning programme strategies
and identification of appro-
priate, development priorities.
Reversible methods
The programme issue that
needs the utmost attention is
how to shift its present em-
phasis from sterilisation to
reversible methods such as IUD,
oral pill and condom.
The compensation payment
system for sterilisation also
wurks as an incentive for steri-,
lisation, both among users and
service providers. There is an
emerging view among family
planning experts including
some programme adminis-
trators that the present system
should be discontinued altoge-
ther in view of its negative
effect on wider acceptance of
reversible methods as well as
it,:;negative ethical implications.
If not cliRcontinued imme-
di.ately, ways should be devis-
ed to eli.minate it gradually,
even at the cost of some tem-
pOTary decline in sterilisation
ac,~eptanc~
Currently, family planning
workers' performance is evaluated
by the achievement of predeter-
mined targets. The shift of em-
phasis from sterilisation to revers-
ible methods should be accom-
panied by a ehange in the criterion
of evaluation. It may be based
on indices related to quality oj
care rendered by workers.
Sterilisation is the most
widely used method in all
Sc!}th Asian countries but in
other Asian countries where
co~traceptive prevalence is
higher, reversible methods are
more popular than sterilisation.
Fo:' example, IUD is the most
widely USed method in China,
and the pill in both Thailand
and Indonesia. Perhaps the
experience of these countries
can provide useful lessons for
South Asian countries.
Decline in birth rate usually
occurs through increased con-
traceptive use and delayed
marriage. Postponement of
age at marriage of women has
contributed significantly to the
fertility decline in Kerala, the
State with the lowest birth
rate at present. Family plan-
ning programme facilitates the
use of contraceptives by those
couples which are motivated
to do so, but it cannot do much
to motivate people towards a
small family norm. The pri-
mary function of the family
planning programme is to pro-
vide contraceptive information
and service. The motivation
for small family is generated
when people are reasonably
assured of their children's sur-
vival and when children's eco-
nomic cost/benefit ratio, as
perceived by parents, increases.
The latter usually happens
with socio-economic develop-
ment which also raises the age
at marriage of women.
A small family norm cannot
become commonplace in India
as long as the infant and child
mortality rate is as high as at
present. Although Kerala's
infant mortality rate (nurnbe,"
uf babies dying within a year
out of 1000 born) in 1987 was
28, the corresponding figure
for the four large North Indian
States of Bihar, Madhya Pra-
desh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pra-
desh, ,was as high as 124. The
infrastructure needed for infant and
child survival has to be expanded
significantly.
Female" Literacy
Out of all the socio-economic
variables affecting fertility
negatively, female literacy and
education seems to be the most
effective. It is known to re-
duce fertility by increasing the
motivation for small family,
by decreasing infant and child
mortality, enabling women to
utilise the family planning
information and services more
effectively, and by delaying the
age at marriage of women. OJ
course, improvement in child survi-
val and female education should
have priority for their own sake,
but their demonstrated negative
effect' on fertility should enhance
their priority in the Eighth Plan.
" The Ministry of Health and,
Family Welfare which imple-
ments the family planning pro-
gramme does not have any
jurisdiction over development
programmes related to female
education, female employment,
child labour and old age secu-
rity which are known to affect
fertility. Hence a powerful
body needs to be created which
can coordinate and influence
the policies and programmes
of all development sectors in
favour of the desired demo-
graphic balance. Political
parties can play a significant
role in demanding such a body
and making it effective. Also,
adequate provisions should be
made in Eighth Plan for using the
vast resources of voluntary orga-
nisations more effectively than has
been done so far in famiJy plan-
ning and other development pro-
grammes.
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Borlaug-J.R.D. Dialogue on Doordarsh,an limit Popul.ation to
Doordarshan should pat itself ed that differences in percep- 970 million
on its back for bringing
the great scientist-humanist
Dr. Norman E. Borlaug into a
lively convers3.tion with India's
grand old man, the renowned
industrialist, Mr. J.R.D. Tata.
The irony .of two old men with
their own impressive contri-
butions to human welfare, sur-
veying the prospect of mankind
tion reached a natural conver-
gence without any argument
being imparied in the process.
Ii one could paraphrase what
Mr. J.R.D. Tata seemed to re-
gard as a matter for serious
concern in India, the overall
ineffectiveness of the popu-
lation controf programme here
arises from the chronic illi-
The Science Advisory Council
to the Prime M.,inister, set up
in 1986, in its recommendations
for achieving a healthy science
and technology scenario in the
year 2001, has suggested that
the country's population be
limited to no more than 970
million by the year 2001.
liberating itself from the" ex-
cesses of population growth,
teracy of the people. Dr. Bor-
laug's response seemed to
Area-wise Approach
(Continuecj from Pbge 4)
could hardly be missed.
Mr. Tata set the pace for the
discussion by reminding the
Nobel Laureate of his Accept-
ance Speech at the Nobel
Awards ceremony in 1970.
What Dr. Norman Borlaug
had said on that occasion-that
it was just a matter of 30 years
during which mankind had to
reverse the process of popu-
lation growth outstripping food
supply-provided the interest-
ing starting point to the dia-
logue. It looked patently im-
possible for the agricultural
cover the needs both of the
long term and of the imme-'
diate future. Literacy drives
particularly for the benefit of
rural women obviously consti-
tute a major plank of the "here
and now" variety. The job
really is to take the message
of population control to poli-
tical and religious leaders, as-
serted Dr. Borlaug. This viewer,
for one, could read nothing but
polite scepticism, on the face
of JRD, at this stage of the
discussion. It was a measure
of the lensman's keen interest
infrastructure is necessary, the
study suggested.
In 67 districts containing 16.3
per cent of the population,
though the programme was
effective, it had not produced
the desired results in terms of
fertility rate.
In these districts, mainly in
parts of Maharashtra and GUja-
rat, a focus on young couples
and spacing methods and an
intensification of media sup-
port is required, according to
the experts.
On the other hand, there are
scientist to deny that over in the flow of arguments which .,f56 districts, with 19 per cent
these years, opportunities for perhaps brought this close-up of the population, where the.
correcting societal maladjust-
ments arising from uncontrolled
growth of population had most-
of Mr. Tata at the right
moment.
With the world's leading
fertility rate is low despite the
absence of any substantial
efforts. Thi.s is prevalent in
ly gone abegging. Govern- "armament patrons" seeing parts of Bihar and Uttar Pra-
ments, as well as responsible their way to the gradual eli- desh.
sections of the public in the mina tion of the psychosis of The fourth region has 1l0'-odd
developing countries, had, by mutual deterrence, financial districts with 41 per cent of
"nd large, failed to accord the resources are bound to be the population where FP has
crucial priority to population released on a massive scale and had a positive impact on ferti-
control which the issue called therefore education (with its lity rates. This is seen in parts
for.
therapeutic effects on the of the South, Maharashtra,
The architect of the Green acceptability of population con- Gujarat and Orissa.
Revolution would not but in- trol programmes) need no Each region requires a dis-
sist that a veritable transfor- longer suffer owing to acute tinct set of initiatives on com-
mation had occurred spurred paucity of funds. This optimis- munication strategies of family
by scientific advancement, in tic scenario provided by planning methods to be pro-
the capacity of these countries, Dr. Norman Borlaug drew moted, and emphasis on infra-
especially Mexico and India, forth what sounded as a note structure and resource allo-
to intensify their food produc- of disbelief from Mr. Tata. cation, the study said.
tion and obtain remarkably Will India encourage foreign
But all-out efforts, on an
higher levels of yields.
aid for literacy, asked the GOM urgent basis, are required for
Viewers of this Borlaug- of Indian industry. A subtlety the 117 "hardcore" districts,
J.R.D. dialogue would hardly of mind, astonishing for a per- which will determine the suc-
have missed the easy flow of son, of his age!
cess or failure of India's popu-
o
•)
conversation and the cultured -5. Swaminathan in The Hindu. lation control efforts.
sense of restraint which ensur-
April 8, 1990 -Financial Express, April 6, 1990
Published by the Family Planning Foundation, 198 Golf Links, New Delhi 1100~3. Tel: 62113.5,697583,619278
PriAted at the Statesman Press,The Statesman Ltd., Connaught CirCUS,New Delhl-11 0001.
Editorial Direction & Guidance: Harish Khanna
Editorial Consultant: J. L. Saaz