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Focus 1991 April - June |
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Bulletin of Family Planning Foundation Vol. V. NO.2 April-June, 1991
6~4 B- lion Humans in 2001 AD
95 Per Cent Increase in Developing Countries
t{. The world population will expected to increase by 100 To do this, the number of
rise from 5.4 billion in mid· million to 540 million by 2000 couples practising contracep~
1991 to 6.4 biHion in 2001 and A.D. While the populations of tioD in the de eloping world
8.5 billion in the year 2025. North America and Europe will must increase by 50 per cent
Further, expectations of ana· increase little through births, from 381 million in 1990 to
lysts that the world popu- these countries could face 567 million by 2000, she said.
lation may stabilise at 10.2
billion by 2085 are likely h) be
belied as that figure might be
reached by 2350--about 35
years earlier than previous
projections.
increasing pressures from
immigrants fleeing poverty and
environmental problems.
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive
Director of the UNFP A, told
media persons that to stabilise
"We ,can already se,e thE:
warning signs of missing out
targets. These signs represeni 'I
trends and if not checked, port~
etid an ominous future.'f
Dr. Sadik said.
This gloomy scenario is world population at 10.2 billion
Greater numbers mean a
revealed by the State of the by 2085, fertility must be heavier burden on water, land~
World Population Report 1991 lowered from the current 3.8 forests, energy and other
released by the United Nations births per woman to 3.3.
resources that underpin eco,:,
Population Fund (UNFP A).
About 95 per cent of the
increase is coming in the
poorer, developing nations least
'- able to cope with it. According
to the report, the largest rela-
tive increases in the coming
years will take place in Africa
where the population will rise
from 650 million today to 900
I million by the end of the cen-
IHiOh
, Medium
Low
tury. In Nigeria, Africa's most
II :~/ populous country, population
will double in the next 20
years. Some Arab countries,
D'~'..
such as Yemen and Syria, have
I even shorter population doubl-
ing times.
419I80
The population of Latin
,
I
2000
I
2010
I
2020
2030 i
i
America and the Caribbean is
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nomic development and human
survival, the report said. SlOW21'
population growth and more
even distribution of people
would
help relieve
the
pressure'.
UNFPA Programme
for India
Outlining
the pro-
gJ;amme of UNFP A for
India in 1991-1995, the
World Population report
said Indian family plan-
ning programmes would
be more successful if
quality of services offer-
ed is improved, and a
regimen
of timely
follow-ups after contra-
ceptive administra tion
are taken up as a rule.
UNFP A
programmes
would be to assist the
Indian Government in
increasing the countr~s
self-reliance on con1r'a-
ceptive production, deve-
loping servicing models
for maternal health care
. by traditional
birth
attendants and commu-
nity involvement:
UNFP A would provide
$ 50'.8 million from its'
regular resources to the
MCHjFP sector of which
$ 39.8 million would be
used for continued sup-
port to Rajasthan, Maha-
rashtra and Himachal
Pradesh in areas' of deve-
lopment efforts, promo-
tion of noh-governmental
organisations and deve-
lopment of communi-
cation skills of field
personnel to help peo-
ple to get over the
religious biases aga~nst
use of contraceptives.
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive
Director of the UNFPA,
warns of an ominous future
unless fertility rate is con-
siderably lowered,
The report which included,
the conclusions of a study of
120 countries found that only
a handful of countries with
serious population pressures
managed to maintain stable
constitutional
governments
with god'd records on civil and
pob tical rights.
Hopeful Signs
But, the report said, there
~ were several signs that the
birth rate could be slowed.
"Compared with any pre-
vious generation, women are
saying they want fewer child-
ren. Although actual fertility
is much higher than 'wanted'
fertility in many) developing
countries, it is now falling in
all regions of the developing
world," it said.
The voluntary use of contra-
ception in developing countries
has grown from 10 per cent of
the couples in the 1960s to 51
per cent today. The end-
century target of 59 per cent
"contraceptive prevalence" im-
plies adoption of family plan-
ning by more than 2 biIlion
people.
C(lst of Contraception
Dr. Sadik said, the cost of
providing family planning and
birth control will double by
the end of the century to :P 9
billion> a year. One half of
this may be in the form of
international assistance while
the remaining hr:1f-4.5 billion
dollars-will have to be borne
by the developing countries
themselves.
UNFPA KUDOS
FOR ERALA
UNFPA has praised Kerala
Government's efforts to help
women in planning the size of
the family.
The emphasis on women's
development, child health and
family planning has paid the
highest dividends in Kerala
and in neighbouring Sri Lanka,
according ~o its report for 1991.-
In 1983, Kerala had a birth
rate of 24.9 !leI' thousand (close
to the target of 21 that India
had set itself for the end of
the century), which is the
lowest total fertility rate of
any Indian state.
('-"-
The higher mean age of
marriage and the relatively low
infant mortality rate in Kerala
has been attributed to a high
literacy rate in the State and
efficient health and family
planning services.
.
Comparing the perfonnance
af Kerala and U.P., the UNFPA
report says With an 85 per
cent lower female. literacy
level, contraceptive use in U.P.
was only one-third of. the ,leyeI
in Kerah while the, fertil,ity
rate was more than double.
The infant mortality rate 'of
V.P. was also four times higher
than that of K~rala.
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Free Family Planning Workers from Tyranny of Targets
r'"
A Planning Commission rather than on the basis of On incentives for family
working group on population faceless numbers.
planning, the report said there
I
has derided the 'tyranny of
targets' in family planning Lower Parity Couples
was little justification for
continuation of the scheme of
programmes and instead sug- On an experimental basis, it r.w:::rds to the state govern-
gested a holistic approach to would be desirable to do away ments
and
government
the whole issue of serving the with targets on a limited scale. employees.
health care of identified
mothers and children.
"Obsession with numbers has
led to virtual obliteration of
the persons whom those num-
bers represent," the working
group said in its report sub-
The report said during the
Eighth Plan, it should be en-
sured that the profile of steri-
lisation acceptors was of the
right quality in terms of age
and Ilumber of children already
born to them.
If at all some scheme of
incentives is functionally justi-
fied, it should be that of com-
munity awards at the local
level of a village or a
panchayat.
mitted recently to the commis-
sion on population projections
and family planning.
It is said there should be a
systematic attempt to progres-
sively bring lower parity
Problem States
According to the
working
As the anxiety to report per- couples within the fold of the group, the four states of Bihar,
formance has diverted atten- programme.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
tion from the reality on the
ground, the report said, what
was needed is "a complete
transformation of the attitude
of both workers and their
superiors" .
At the micro-level, the tar-
gets have to be understood as
indicators of programmes which
are only part of the wider
whole of the health care acti-
vities intended to serve identi-
fied mothers and children.
On medical termination of
pregnancy (MTP), the report
said the facilities so far creat-
ed in this area were woefully
inadequate and wherever they
do exist, only scanty or meagre
service was provided.
It said abortions both in rural
and urban areas were being
carried out under the most
unhygienic surroundings and
by the use of very primitive
methods.
and Uttar Pradesh, which con-
~titute about 40 per cent of
India's population, have Crude'
Birth Rates (CBR), Crude
Death Rates (CDR) and Infant
Mortality Rates (IMR) at levels
distinctly higher than the
national average.
Unless special efforts were
made to bring up the profile
and performance of these states
in regard to health and family
welfare, it would be almost im-
Holistic Service
As such, the report said, in possible to accelerate the
F,or this purpose, the report
said regular and meticulqus
maintenance of the eligible
couples and child register
(ECCR) was a basic necessity.
Stating that the female and
male workers at the grassroot
level should be encouraged to
imbibe the new approach, the
report said they should be
given the confidence that their
work and worth would be
judged in, terms of such holi-
stic service rendered by them
to the identified individuals
the Eighth Plan, MTP facilities
should be made available by
the primary health centres
(PHCs) and community health
centres.
Easy accessibility and known
surroundings would enable
women to go in for MTP at
these centres.
Provision of such facilities
would reduce maternal morta-
lity rates and also increase the
acceptance of ,conventional
contraceptives, the report con-
tended.
achievement of demographiC
and family welfare goals, at
the national !evel.
The working group was
headed by Ms. Avabai B Wadia
of the Family Planning Asso-
ciation of India who is also a
member of the Governing
Board of the Family Planning
Foundation. It included emi-
nent demographers and senior
officials of the government.
-Business & Political Observer,
May 29, 1991
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L Ii Ii Wid":."
Population, Development and Environment Interlinked
"The history of family plan-
ning has,. on the one hand,
been one of over enthusiasm,
and complete lack of basic
intelligence, on the other,"
said Dr. Karan Singh, former
Union minister for health in
his valedictory address on
April 16, 1991 to the conference
on "Population, Development
and the Environment: An
Agenda for the 1990s", orga-
nised by the Family Planning
Association of India (FPAI).
Dr. Karan Singh described
the cities as "black holes draw-
ing the best and making them
disappear into the slums". He
. complimented non-governmen-
tal organisations (NGOs) for
linking up the three problems
of population, development
and environment. "These are
like he three sides of your
triangle", he said.
Mr. Harish Khanna, Exe-
cutive Director of the Family
Planning Foundation, New
Delhi, said: "The media can
playa greater role in creating
an appropriate ambience for
family planning, and getting
rid of the inhibitions in talking
about contraception". He also
emphasised the need for so';!nd
counselling after commUnIca-
tion of the message.
The over 150 NGOs came up
with a series of recommenda-
tions. These included family
planning programmes aimed
especially at women, involve-
ment of the youth and em-
phasis on problems of adoles-
cents. It was also suggested
that health boards be set up
in all districts and it be made
mandatory for local comm';!-
nity leaders to be theIr
members.
-Times of India, April 17, 1991
Population Horror Haunts Developing
Countries
':' Three-fourths of the world population live in the developing
countries where the rate of increase is twice than that of the
developed countries.
~, It is estimated that by 2000 AD, there will be four persons
living in the developing countries for every one person in
the developed world.
~, Europe, the U.S.A., Canada and Japan have birth rates below
20 per thousand, and a death rate below 1.5 per cent. Most
countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have birth rates
above 37 per thousand and growth rates above two per cent.
* Children under five years of age formed over 13 per cent
of population in the developing countries as against only
7.5 per cent in the developed countries.
':' By the turn of the century, 36 countries with a population
of almost 500 million will be unable to feed themselves.
Family Planning Lacks Commitment
Inaugurating a national
Mr. Sawhney said in many
seminar in New Delhi on "pro- States in spite of having in-
moting family programmes in frastructure like hospitals and
the organised sector", Mr. V. P. medicines, committed people
Sawhney, Labour and Welfare needed for effective imple-
Secretary. said the main prob- mentation of the programme
lem with family welfare pro- were not available.
grammes was lack of imple- Mr. Sawhney said there was
mentation. There was need for need for devising practical
evolving strategies which would programmes however modest
help accelerate the process of they may be.
family planning. Between the Mr. S. K. Birla, President of
last census and now the coun- the Federation lilfIndian Cham-
try has added about 16 crore bers of Commerce and Industry
to the population.
(FICCT) said since the Govern-
In States like Kerala, Hima-
chal Pradesh and Orissa and
many of the southern States,
the results of family planning
programme have been good.
On the other hand, in States
like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Maharashtra, West Bengal,
Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh, the population had
increased to a great extent.
ment alone with its individual
efforts cannot contain the
growth rate of population and
bring it to the required level,
there was need for concerted
effort from all sectors.
The seminar had been jointlY
. organised by FICCI and All
Indi.a Organisation of Em-
ployers.
-Hindustan Times, May 7, 1991
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.vVORLD ENVIRONi\\llENT DA.r
Call to Save the Planet
The World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5
to commemorate the United Nations' first conference on environment
held ill Stockholm in 1972. This year's theme was "Climate Change:
"Need for Global Partnership." In observance of the Day leading
environmentalists called for a concerted world-wide action to save
the earth from the impending catastrophic climatic changes caused
by the unchecked use of resources by the modern society. We
present here some highlights of the celebration of the World
Environment Day in Delhi.
Delivering a lecture on this
topic at the Institution of
Engineers, Dr. R. K. Pachauri,
l~ading environmentalist and
dIrector of the Tata Energy
Institute here, e~phasised
that global cooperatIon was
essential .to ~ackle the prob-
lems ?f clImatIc changes, global
warmmg and greenhouse effect.
Industrialised countries have
caused most of the damage to
the environment due to their
lifestyles. For example, 65 per
cent of the global emission of
carbondioxide (main cause of
earth's warming) since 1860 is
by the developed countries.
The so-called East Bloc coun-
tries contributed 20 per cent
and, the 100-odd developing
countries the remaining 15 per
cent, he pointed out.
Avert Critical Threshold
Delivering the first Rajiv
Gandhi memorial lecture (in'
the memory of the assassinated
former Prime Minister) on the
same theme, Prof Priya Ranjan
Trivedi stressed the need for
a comprehensive global action
programme to prevent environ-
mental degradation.
Prof. Trivedi, a member of
the Indian Institute of Ecology
and Environment, said: "Un-
less we take some urgent steps
to protect our environment we
will be heading towards catas-
trophies that might annihilate
the entire mankind."
He urged the mankind to
desist from pushing the climate,
inadvertently, to a critical
threshold that might trigger an
abrupt change in living condi-
tions upsetting the normal
Dr. Qasim said it is the duty
of every citizen of India to
offer protection to all types of
animals and plants. "Conser-
vation does not mean giving
protection to them in zoos or
in botanical gardens but to
ensure that each species is able
to ~gate
itself in an en-
vironment which is very close
to the natural habitat."
He pointed out that recent
work in India on conservation
has proved beyond doubt that
much can be achieved with the
efforts of the government and
with the cooperation of the
people.
"
INDUSTRIAl. HOUSES TO
ASSIST SAVE GANGOTRI
However, now the developed
countries are trying to create
lifestyle.
Man-the main culprit
"Enormous pressure on land
PROJECT
The two big industrial
a scare that the developing for human settlement and houses of the country-the
countries may harm the en-
vironment most in the coming
years in their quest for deve-
destructive forces of politician
and human greed have led to
the disappearance of both
animal and plant species," said
Tatas and the Birlas-have
offered to support the Save
Gangotri project, a plan that
entails cleaning up the Gan-
lopment. So they are trying the Jamia Millia Islamia vice- gotri basin- one of the most
to impose unnecessary con- chancellor, Dr. S. Z. Qasim, polluted
areas
in the
trols on the poorer nations, while delivering the National Himalayas.
Dr. Pachauri said.
"We cannot accept any con-
trols on processes that lead to
a better life for our citizens.
But what we could do is use
more energy efficient systems
which may lessen the impact
on environment," the noted
expert on energy systems said.
Museum of Natural History·
Foundation Day lecture.
Dr. Qasim said the kind of
diversity which one finds in
flora and fauna in the country
is fast depleting. "All recent
extinctions of animals and
plants are attributed directly
or indirectly to the activities
of man."
According to an Indian
Mountaineering
Foundation
statement, the industrial houses
will fund a move to set up
rubbish bins all over the region
and employ a staff for their
regular disposal. The details
are still being worked out.
-Times of India. June 6. 1991
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WAY DOWN THE
LIST
Editorial Comments
CHECK ON
POPULATION
The UN Development Pro-
gramme's Human Development
on
The United Nations Popu-
lation Fund in its 1991 report
Index, for the second year run-
holds family planning tech-
ning, places India pretty much
.::t the bottom of the global
Population
niques as the kev tC' secure
slower population' growth in
pile-123rd out of 160 coun-
tries. Pakistan is marginally
·Issues
the 21st Century. There are
hopeful signs, the report adds.
better off, while Bangladesh is
that for the first time fertility
13 ranks lower, The use of
is declining in all major regions
this alternative to the per
of the world. Even in high-
c:lpita gross national product yet, the UNDP cites how invest- fertility, low contracf'ptive pre-
puts Sri Lanka as high· as 75 ment in human resources valence areas such as South
(it would be interesting to see yields dividends in both social Asia and Africa, today's women
where Keralaby itself which and economic terms. Only a are having fewer children
has a somewhat similar demo- fifth of the Government's ex- compared with those of 1960-65.
graphic profile, would figure) penditure goes to these heads Even so, new population pro-
and China at 82. By any rec- and it may come as a surprise jectiom of the United Nations
:koning, this country's perform- to realise that people spend underscore thE? need for
ance has been abysmal. "Even more out of their own pockets action ... ,._
four decades after· indepEmd-
ence, an Indiancp.n expect. to
live for 59 years,. whereas in
developing countries as a
whole the average span is 63
and in industrial countries as
much as 75. The expenditure
on "human capital" by way of
education, as a proportion of
GNP, is also lower than the
developing cQuntries' average
and, not surprisingly, adult
literacy lags· ,way behind. Per-
haps the most telling ·:single
factor is th,e .number of deaths
of infants under five years old,
on such essentials as health
and education than the state
does. This prompts the UNDP
to set a target for India to
double its expenditure on hu-
mem development. As the
UNDP points out, more than
a lack of funds, it is political
will that is in extremely short"\\
supply everywhere. Interest-
ingly, UNDP has added another
dimension in measuring pro-
gress-human freedom, which
is likely to generate some con-
troversy. While it is admitted-
~y difficult to measure how
UN targets for reducing ferti-
lity up to the year 2000 are
realistic. They can be reached
but only if modern, voluntary
family planning servicf's can be
extended to about 1.5 billion
people in developing countries.
It involves a move from 51 per
cent contraceptive prevalence
of today to 59 per cent by 2000
In other words. the number of
couples using' family planning
techniques - will rise from 381
million in 1991 to 567 million
in 2000.
which is as high as 145 per one country ranks better than
It is now universally accepted
thousand births, while deve- another on this score, it is true that literacy has a lot to do in
loping countries average only th,at this factor is responsible augmenting family planning
116. Indeed, nearly half the for releasing the creative (mer- programmes. Low income
children in this category here gies of people and is therefore countries like Sri Lanka and
are undernourished. By 'the an indispensable component of the States of Kerala and Tamil
human development index, development. It is some con- Nadu in India have"shown that
which combines three variables: solation that in this respect, it is the qqality of the services
life expectancy, education and India fares quite well, except offered and the ability of wo-
income, India has the ignominy for equal rights for women. men and men to take advantage
of taking its place among coun- Instead of dismissing the hu- of thf'ffi that ultimately matter.
tries such as Haiti and Laos. man development index as But for effective family plan-
some new-fangled theoretical ning methods, the 1990 popu-
Despi te some advances in device, it will be all to the lation of the developing world
literacy, notably in Kerala and· good if it was incorporated in w0uld have been bigger" by 412
most recently in Burdwan dis- the Indian planning process to million. China and India res-
trict of West Bengal, there the extent possible.
pectively claim 200 and 106
has been precious little ad-
million births averted. Thai-
vancement in the quality of
-Edit., Times of India, land took only eight years to
life for most countrymen. And
June 8, 1991 reduce fertility rate from 6.5
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to 3.5 live births per woman.
Choices in family planning are
a private matter for individual
couples; nevertheless govern-
ments are involved in the suc-
cess of f<.mily planning pro··
grammes. A woman's control
over her own fertility has been
called "the' freedom from which
other freedoms flow". Bet ter
education and health services
increase heT ability to makE'
her own choices. In countries
where there is a marked hosti-
lity to modern contraceptives
on grounds of religion and
other prejudices, it is for the
United Nations to dispel doubts
and suspicion through persua-
sive methods.
-Edit., The Hindustan Times,
May 13, 1991
I DIA'S HOt
The 1991 Human Develop-
ment Report released by the
United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), second in
the series, highlights a novel
approach to assessing a coun-
try's level of development.
Putting aside the traditional
GNP route, this report bases
its conclusions on figures cover-
ing e'xpenditure on human
priority sectors. These are
health, water, sanitation, daily
calorific intake, literacy and
primary and secondary school
enrolment.
Combined with
GNP per capita and real GDP
per capita,' these go to deter-
mlrle a nation's human develop-
ment index (HDI) .
India's HDI ranks 123rd
amongst the 160 countries under
scrutiny. And of the 127 deve-
loping countries India ranks
94th. In the first time human
freedom index, India ranked
42nd of the 88 countries sur'-
veyed, and fifth of all Asian
countries. Although this me-
thod is a more scientific mea-
sure of socio-economic progress,
the report reaches conclusions
that are not entirely applicable
globally. Its primary thesis is
the lack of political will and
ccmmi tmen t. and not financial
resources. is the real cause of
human neglect. In a simplistic
sense this 1S acceptable
enough. But when confronted
with conditions on the ground
this provides us wi th f;r fro~
the last word .
The report marks out defence
spending as the most important
area which negates the release
of funds for human develop-
ment. Regions of political tur-
moil encourage lobbies to be'
buil t around ever larger claims
on defence expenditure. There
are many issues that the UNDP
report covers which form the
crucial links in the chain of
human development. But in-
evitably its approach is rather
generalist and overlooks local
factors. To the degree that
this happens it falls short of
the purposes it could serve.
-Edit., Indian Express,
June 3, 1991
China Will Maintain Its Lead
The world population will
increase from the current 5.4
billions to 12 billions in the
year 2100 before levelling off,
according to new projections
made by the Washington
based Population Reference
Bureau.
The world population would
have r"eached the sixth billion
mark in 1998 and the seventh
in 2009. The Bureau also pre-
dicts the level of population
that would be reached by 20
populous countries of the
world. -India and China will
('ontinu€' to lead the rest as the
most populous nations. India's
popula tion, now 859 millions
will climb to 1158 millions in
2010 and to 1,365 millions-in
2025. China, maintaining iU
No.1 rank as the most populous
country, will register a rise
from its 1,051 millions in 1991,
Ms D. K. Thara Devi, Union
Minister of State for Health
and Family Welfare
to 1,4-20 millions in 2010 and
1,591 millions in 2025.
The USSR will be the world's
third most populous country. Its
current population of 292 mil-
lions will rise to 333 millions
f?25. in 2010 and to 363 millions in
The po~ul.ation ?f the
-'.S. now 253 m11hons w1ll rise.
fo 299 millions in 2010 and to
334 millions in 202b.
In the Indian subcontinent.
Pakistan's population will rise
from 117 millions to 196 mil-
lions in 2010 and to 281 millions
in 2025. Bangladesh which has
a population Gf 117 millions
will touch 176 millions in 2010
and 226 mill ions in 2025.
Pak Overtakes Bangladesh
:Pakistan has already ovel--
taken or will. overtake BaTlgla-
df'sh in ]Jopulation this year,
to become South Asia's most
populous nation after India.
Until 1990, Pakistan and
Bangladesh were neck and neck
in population but in J991, the
Pakistani population is pro-
jected by the Population Refer-
ence Bureau at 117,490 million
against Bangladesh's
116,601
[nillion. The gap will widen
from now on.
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~~~steT ICm~S~$ ~\\a~~ ihn~st
to POPll at~Ori Po aCV
Addressing his first press
conference on July 9, 1991 after
taking charge of the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare,
Mr. M. L. Fotedar promised a
new thrust to the population
policy pointing out that any
economic growth will be negat-
ed by unhindered growth in
population.
The Minister said that the
population policy over the last
four decades had not yielded
the desired results as the
family welfare programme
had not progressed as well as
it should have.
Mr. Fotedar said that there
cannot be any national wealth
without national health and
that the Congress (I) mani-
festo was committed to the
goal of "Health for All by
2000 A.D.".
The Minister said he was
thinking of setting up a Medi-
cal Education Commission, on
the pattern of the University
Grants Commission. The Medi-
cal Council of India, he said,
was "almost non-functional;" a
Commission could help in im-
proving the standards of medi-
cal education in the country.
Among the initiatives
Mr. Fotedar hopes to take is
the inspection and registration
of all nursing homes (in Delhi
about 135 are registered of a
total of about 500), the setting
up of a Rs. 20-crore spinal
injuries centre to be named
Shri M. L. Fotedar, Union
Minister for Health and
Family Welfare.
after Rajiv Gandhi at Vasant
Kunj in South Delhi, speeding
up of a programm'2 und'2r
which all blood given to blood
banks will be AIDS-free and
new incentives to those who
adopt the small family norm.
U.S. Population Aid
Policy Biased
Nataonal Commission on Populat!on Urged
'\\
The Washington-based Popu-
lation Crisis Committee in its
latest r,eport released in early
May 1991, has criticised the
U.S. policy of allocating funds
for family planning pro-
grammes in the developing
countries on political con-
siderations, ignoring the demo-
graphic criterion.
The report says in India, the
most demographically im-
portant country in the world,
the fJ .S. population assistance
programme nas beer. so small
as to be almost irrelevant to
tha: country's overall effort.
Last year, the U.S. direct
population assistance to India,
a country of more than 850
million people, totalled a negli-
gible $ 1.50 million and in 1991,
it will not provide any bila-
teral aid to India'.
-The Telegraph, May 7, 1991
A group of experts on family
planning who met on May 16,
1991 under the auspices of the
Planning Commission, urged
the Government to constitute
-'l. national population comrins-
sion to monitor the implemen-
ration of the population control
programme. The meeting Was
prf'sided over by Mr. Mohan
Dharia, the then Deputy
Chairman of the Planning
Commission.
At the end of the day-long
ffif'etmg, it Issued a statement
".Thich calls for an integrated
;:tpproach to check the popu-
lation growth. Nothing short
,Yl' a people's movement and
national awakening could solve
thf' problem, th~ statement
said.
With a view to making
rarony planning a people's
movement, Dr. Bharat Ram,
Vice Chairman of the Family
Planning F'ounda tion, !'ltrongly
pleaded tha't instead of carry-
ing family planning activitles
only through government de-
partments. the pro;zramme
5hould be large,ly implemented
by voluntC'.ry organisations,
educ2.tiona 1 insti tu tions, corpo-
rate bodies and enlightened
citizens of the country. The
commission and the govern-
ment should provide all pos-
~ible coophation including
fmancial helD for such a "peo-
ple's movement."
Population control is inh-
rhately related to eradication of
illiteracy, status of women,
maternal and child hf'alth.
nutri tion, securi ty .~n old age
and provision for employment
opportunities. Only an inte-
grated approach would yield
results, the experts said.
Published by the Family Planning Foundation, 8-28, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-11 0016.
Tel: 668181, 6867080, 6867081
Printed at the Statesman Press, The Statesman Ltd., Connaught Circus, New Delhi-" 0001.
Editorial Direction & Guidance: Harish Khanna
Editorial Consultant: J. L. Saaz