The recent decline in fertility in Bangladesh froin a total fertility rate of 6.3 children per women in 1975 to 3.5 in 1995 (MHPC, 1978:73; BBS, 1996) has created interest among researchers, policy makers and academicians.

Fertility in Pakistan has shown a stubborn resistance to change. Because of sharp declines in mortality following World War II, the population of Pakistan was growing at the rate of 2.7 percent per annum around 1960.

INDIA IS A VAST country with a population of more than 844 million. The tribal populations of India constitute a significant proportion of India's total population. There are more than 400 tribal population groups constituting

The success of a good planning strategy for the overall development of any society (population) depends upon two main factors.

The rapid rate of population growth in India is adversely affecting every sector of its economic and social development and the country seems to be in the grip of the vicious circle of economic backwardness-high rate of population growthmore economic backwardness.

Once effective methods of fertility limitation become widely available within a population, the impact of fertility intentions on subsequent fertility becomes a matter of both theoretical and practical importance.

Pakistan emerged as an independent state on August 14,1947, nearly 45 years ago, when the British presided over the partition of the Indian subcontinent. The country came about as a demand for an independent, Muslim state.

There is a plethora of information on the analyses of fertility differentials by various socio-economic factors.

One of the most critical problems of India and of many other developing countries is their rapid population growth. India's population increased from 361 million to 846 million between 1951 and 1991; a 134 per cent increase during the 40 year period.