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Issue 10 Vol I, February 28, 2006 features Teeming
Millions in India: Certain Vital Issues
A population policy is a deliberate attempt by a government to affect the size, structure or geographic distribution of the population. Since all the demographic variables are influenced through fertility, mortality and migration, these three factors are of particular importance in the context of any population policy. Whereas, mortality-influencing policies are directed to bring about a reduction in mortality rates, migration-influencing policies seek to change the flow of internal migration as well as international migration. The fertility-related policies aim at influencing fertility rates and may include both pro-natalist and anti-natalist programmes as per the socio-economic needs of a nation. One of the most pressing population problems today is the internal migration from rural to urban areas. Another problem is differentials in density per square kilometer and flow of people from low density to high-density areas. National governments cannot prevent flow of internal migrations from one region to another or from rural to urban area except through incentives and encouragement policies. The policy options are like spatial distribution of population through suitable development strategies, tax incentives and disincentives for location of industries, subsidies to industries in favoured areas, investments in public enterprises, decentralisation of government services, establishment of national capital in sparsely populated areas and formation of capital regions. In India, the population scenario is both depressing and interesting. It is depressing because despite our numerous programmes to contain population over the years, we are today the second most populous country in the world. Population has grown at a phenomenal rate and has crossed the one billion mark. It is interesting because of certain anomalies that characterise both the growth and scatter of population in our country. For example, (a) despite the fact that the average annual growth rate of population has declined from 2.3 per cent during 1971-81 to 2.1 per cent during 1981-91, the overall size has continued to increase; (b) The inter-state disparities in demographic parameters are highly marked. Six most populous states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal contribute a little more than 60 per cent to India’s total population, while the remaining States and Union Territories contribute only 40 per cent. [Why not look at the geographic size] Efforts at controlling population have failed as instead of reaching a goal of two children per woman, we have an average of three to four children each. And the future course of population growth in India will depend largely on the reproductive behaviour of the people particularly in the group of Six States. The size of our base population has become so large that even a low birth rate may lead to a phenomenal increase in numbers. A population policy committee was set up in 1952 and subsequently a family welfare cell created in Directorate General of Health Services. These activities were expanded and intensified in each successive five-year plan. From a ‘clinical approach’ to a ‘community extension approach’ and then to an ‘integrated development approach’ coupled with incentives and disincentives, we kept on experimenting with multi-pronged family planning approaches. The progress has been very slow owing to the limited scope of our policy and poor governance. In fact, the birth control methods and programmes have been taken as an intrusion in the sensitive and private matters of individuals. In addition, some religious and conservative groups also strongly oppose family planning methods. There is general lack of awareness. Even political leaders suffer from a myopic vision of national interest, lack of political will to effectively implement population control measures. Each State wishes to maximize its representation, which according to the given Election laws, is directly proportional to population. Because of representation based on population in parliament, none of these States, therefore, permit their representation to be cut down at any cost. The safest way for them is to adopt a lukewarm and superficial attitude towards any policy of population control. The budgetary allocation for population control programmes in our Central and State budget have been negligible over the years. The country is, thus, placed in serious dilemma of controlling population. There is another difficulty of differential fertility rates. While the highly educated people coming from the lower middle, upper middle and richer strata of our population, about one-third of the country’s population, have invariably shown low and regulated fertility rates and adhered to small family norms, the remaining two-third from the lower income strata have demonstrated exceptionally higher fertility rates. It is in this poverty-stricken section where population is growing at a very fast pace, as the vicious circle of poverty brings more children, and this leads to more poverty. Improvements in the quantity and quality of family planning programmes by adopting a multi-faceted strategy for addressing the various problems can bring about a substantial reduction in fertility rates. Undesirable pregnancies can be checked through programmes if women are educated and given greater control over their sexual and reproductive lives. Improvement in the status of women by assigning them equal economic, social, legal and property rights and educating our people on gender equality issues will significantly influence reproductive behavior of couples to check phenomenal growth of the country’s population. The government can also introduce a comprehensive legislative to have no more than two children. Such shall need dedication, commitment and political. People will have to be educated and involved to bring about the required level of mental revolution to be ready to accept the law of the land to contain population. The provisions of law, in addition, shall have to provide for adequate incentives like free education, concessions in services, old age pension and insurance coverage. Amidst the problems of mass poverty, underemployment and unemployment in large parts of the country, government will have to immediately initiate policies of population dispersal, say, by creating employment opportunities all over the country and try to disperse the regional concentrations of high employment, economic activities and industrial complexes. These anti-urbanisation policies should specifically encourage widespread small-scale enterprises, dispersal of industrial estates, promotion of rural industries, metropolitan and town planning and incentives to boost industrial development in backward regions. Both demand and supply approaches of population control complement and reinforce each other. By increasing levels of education, particularly women’s education, and adult education and bringing about gender equality, demand for children could be reduced or delays in child bearing and spacing can be achieved. Nothing is ever difficult if it is motivated by strong will. We have to make a beginning and the end would show itself in the shape of a blissful reality. Anand
is former Professor of Economic at the University of Allahabad. | ||||||||||||||||||
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SOUTH ASIA POST INC. |
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THE
world population has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the past four decades.
To curb this, several policies and programmes have been undertaken all over the
world, particularly in developing countries. These policy options are similar as
far as their basic goals are concerned. However, the modalities of
implementation may differ from country to country.