AND
FAMILY PLANNING IN
DR
S. CHANDRASEKHAR
Director,
Indian Institute for Population Studies,
Apart
from the massive size of the total population and the alarming rate of its
growth, a striking feature is the heterogeneous increase of
population in the various States. The percentages of increase
in the States during the last decade cover a wide range, from 34.30 in
What
are the factors behind this tremendous and unwelcome increase? To begin with,
However,
an explanation of the country’s population growth has to
be sought in the nation’s birth and death rates. If the birth-rate is assumed
to have been stationary, the death-rate would have had to decline from 27 per
1,000 in 1951 to less than 19 per 1,000 during the decade
1951-61 to yield an increase of 21.5 per cent for the same period. Hence it is
possible to suppose that there has been not only no decline in the nation’s
fertility but, if anything, an increase. Obviously the nation’s efforts to popularise family planning have not yet been successful for
the country as a whole. It is true that for the first 10 years after
As
for the death-rate, the available evidence shows a definite decline. The
death-rate has declined from 31.2 per 1,000 (1931-41) to 21.6 (1956-61). The
infant mortality rate (based on incomplete data) has fallen from 123 per 1,000
live births in 1951 to 98 in 1959. The official figures may not be exact, but
the declining trend is obvious in the general death-rate and its age and sex
components. On the other hand, the expectation of life at birth has increased
from 32 in 1951 to 42 in 1961.
Two
other major improvements are responsible for
If
anything, with progress in preventive measures and with more medical
institutions and medical personnel of all kinds, and help from the WHO, Colombo
Plan, etc., India is bound to register a further decline in her infant,
maternal and over-all death-rates.
The
real question before
The
population factor–which includes the size of population, the rate of growth,
age and sex composition, and fertility and mortality rates–has a direct bearing
upon the development factor–which includes the resources to be spent on
supporting the population at a certain level of living, the size and possible
employment of the labour force, the rate of current
consumption and saving available for investment, etc.
It
is difficult to construct a single and precise index of economic development
for the country for such a short period as a decade. In
The
population increased during this period at an annual rate of 2.15 per cent over
the 1951 population figures, whereas the increase in national income was 4.2
per cent over the 1950–1 income figure at constant prices. The per capita
annual income was Rs. 246 in 1951 and it increased to
Rs. 286 in 1961, in terms of 1948–9 prices. This
works out at an increase of 14 per cent during the 10 years as against the 20
per cent increase envisaged by the Planning Commission because of the
commission’s underestimate of population growth.
The
record of agricultural production in
As
for the pattern of consumption, recent family budget surveys, show that
generally 50 to 70 per cent of the total expenditure of the average family is
on food, the important components being cereals and pulses. The net
availability of cereals and pulses for consumption has been steadily increasing
during the last 10 years. As against a total of 13 ounces of cereals and pulses
per capita per day in 1951, the corresponding amount available in 1959 was 16
ounces. While the calorie and protein content of the diet of an average Indian
is still very low, the position has improved during the last 10 years.
Has
In
spite of lack of adequate statistical data, it is obvious, judging from the
trends of agricultural and industrial production, that the decade has witnessed
significant economic improvement. An upward trend is visible in almost every
sector of the economy. There is no doubt that the level of living of the
average Indian family has gone up in terms of the basic requisites of decent
human existence. The economy of chronic shortages is being gradually
transformed into an economy of near-self-sufficiency, although it is still a
long way from affluence even according to Indian standards.
But
the major question still is whether it would not have been possible to attain
even higher levels of living had the growth of population been at a lower rate.
The answer is in the affirmative. Had we added about 38 million, or about half
the actual increase, more families would have received more amenities.
It
can of course be argued that this great increase in population is itself an
index of the over-all improvement in
Thus,
As
for family planning all the available experience during the last ten years, in
various parts of the country, and particularly in rural areas, shows that
conventional contraceptives (like diaphragm and jelly) are not very successful.
Normally, a contraceptive should be safe, harmless, reliable, cheap, effective
and acceptable to the cultural milieu of a people. But in
In
conclusion, it is interesting to recall what Mahatma Gandhi said about
voluntary sterilization. Gandhi pointed out, “I consider it inhuman to impose
sterilization law on the people. But in case of individuals with chronic
diseases, it is desirable to have them sterilized if they are agreeable to it.
Sterilization is a sort of contraceptive, and though I am against the use of
contraceptives in case of women, I do not mind voluntary sterilization in case
of man since he is the aggressor.” (Amrita Bazar Patrika, 12th January 1935)
To
Mahatmaji, voluntary sterilization was an answer to
“chronic disease”. In