Address at the Egyptian Society for Population Research
Raina, B.L.
Egyptian Population and Family Planning Review 3(2): 131-143
1970
ISSN/ISBN: 1110-1156 PMID: 12254514 Document Number: 469334
Since 1921 a significant decline in the death rate in India has aggravated an already existing population problem. The population of India is mainly rural, illiterate, and has deep cultural roots, all of which are impediments to family planning. Family planning has been a major government priority for many years, and the latest 5-Year Plan for family planning (1969-1974) includes an appropriation of $400 million and emphasizes education. The program is trying to foster the small family as a new social norm. It also includes provision of family planning services as part of other public health service facilities, and continues to fund research and evaluation. Social change is also sought through changing marriage and fertility patterns. The goal of the program is to reduce the current birth rate of 39/1000 to 25/1000 by 1980. Birth rates have already fallen in some areas of India, particularly in the controlled societies of the tea plantations, where one community has dropped to 1.4/1000 in 1967 compared to 3.2 in 1961. The family planning program in India is entirely voluntary with a free choice of methods. The most common methods are sterilization (6.3 million operations from 1956 to August 1969 or a rate of 11.7/1000), the IUD (3 million insertions from 1965 to August 1969 at a rate of 5.6/1000), and the condom. IUD termination rates have been 11.2/100 insertions after 6 months and 46.3/100 after 24 months.