Family Planning Programs in India: An Overview and Need for a Revision

Abstract

Indian Family Planning Program, though started in 1952 on solid developmental and women's welfare grounds, has had over the years rapid upswings followed by downswings either because of bad and hurried population policies such as during national emergency in 1975 or setting unrealistic targets or removing them because of succumbing to the international pressure caused by women's groups through the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held at Cairo in 1994. Though India has on the whole done fairly well in reducing its fertility levels very close to the levels desired by the married couples in many states, there are still large variations across the states on fertility and many development indicators. Increased contraceptive use and lowered fertility levels have been found to be closely related with developments in many areas at the micro and macro levels and the human development index, not only within India but across the globe.