Building Awareness towards Population Control

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Theme : Social Empowerment ; Health
Paper:GS-1 and GS-2

Members of Parliament, introduced a private members’ Bill aimed at population control in India.The Bill argues for an immediate need for population control.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Context
2. UP Population Bill
3. Various Issues with Population Growth
4. Population Policy followed in India Since Independence
5. Steps to Control the Population in India.
6. Road Ahead

Context : Members of Parliament, introduced a private members’ Bill aimed at population control in India.The Bill argues for an immediate need for population control.

UP Population Bill : 

On World Population Day (11th July), the Uttar Pradesh government announced a new population policy for 2021-2030.The new policy has provisions to give incentives to those who help in population control.

Highlights of the draft bill on population control:

The new policy aims at:

• Decreasing the total fertility rate from 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026 and 1.7 by 2030.
• Increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate from 31.7% to 45% by 2026 and 52% by 2030.
• Increase male methods of contraception use from 10.8% to 15.1% by 2026 and 16.4% by 2030.
• Decrease maternal mortality rate from 197 to 150 to 98, and infant mortality rate from 43 to 32 to 22, and under 5 infant mortality rate from 47 to 35 to 25.

 Focus areas:

• To increase the accessibility of contraceptive measures issued under the Family Planning Programme and provide a proper system for safe abortion.
• To reduce the newborns’ and maternal mortality rate.
• To provide for care of the elderly, and better management of education, health, and nutrition of adolescents between 11 to 19 years.

 Incentives:

• Promotions, increments, concessions in housing schemes and other perks to employees who adhere to population control norms, and have two or less children.
• Public servants who adopt the two-child norm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity or as the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary and allowances and three percent increase in the employer’s contribution fund under the National Pension Scheme.
• For those who are not government employees and still contribute towards keeping the population in check, will get benefits like rebates in taxes on water, housing, home loans etc.
• If the parent of a child opts for vasectomy, he/she will be eligible for free medical facilities till the age of 20.

The Uttar Pradesh government plans to set up a state population fund to implement the measures.

Various Issues with Population Growth : 

• Unemployment: Generating employment for a huge population in a country like India is very difficult. The number of illiterate persons increases every year. Unemployment rate is thus showing an increasing trend.
• Manpower utilization: The number of jobless people is on the rise in India due to economic depression and slow business development and expansion activities.
• Pressure on infrastructure: Development of infrastructural facilities is unfortunately not keeping pace with the growth of population. The result is lack of transportation, communication, housing, education, healthcare etc. There has been an increase in the number of slums, overcrowded houses, traffic congestion etc.
• Resource utilization: Land areas, water resources, forests are over exploited. There is also scarcity of resources.
• Decreased production and increased costs: Food production and distribution have not been able to catch up with the increasing population and hence the costs of production have increased. Inflation is the major consequence of overpopulation.
• Inequitable income distribution: In the face of an increasing population, an unequal distribution of income and inequalities within the country widen.

Population Policy followed in India Since Independence : 

• After independence, a Population Policy Committee was created in 1952 which suggested the appointment of a Family Planning Research and Programmes Committee in 1953.
• A Central Family Planning Board was created in 1956 which emphasized sterilization. 
• Up till 1960s a rigid policy was not adopted to arrest the fast growth of population. 
• The policy framed in 1951-52 was ad hoc in nature, flexible, and based on a trial and error approach.
• When the First Five-Year Plan was formulated, it was enumerated in the plan that the programme for family limitation and population control should:

(a) present an accurate picture of the factors contributing to the rapid increase of population;

(b) discover suitable techniques of family planning and devise methods by which knowledge of these techniques could be widely disseminated; and

(c) give advice on family planning as an integral part of the service of government hospitals and public agencies.

• Until the Fifth Plan, the family planning programme concerned itself primarily with birth control but in this plan ‘maternal and child health and nutrition services’ were also included as an integral part of the family planning programme.
• Despite all the Five-Year Plans (from First to Tenth) and policies, the population of India is growing at a faster pace and taking the shape of ‘population explosion’.

Steps to Control the Population in India : 

• Social Measure: Population outburst is considered to be a social problem and it is intensely rooted in civilization. It is therefore necessary to make efforts to eliminate the social iniquities in the country. Minimum age of Marriage: As fertility depends on the age of marriage therefore the minimum age of marriage should be raised. In India the minimum age for marriage is 21 years for men and 18 years for women, fixed by law. This law should be strongly implemented and people should also be made aware of this through promotion.
• Raising the Status of Women: There are prevalent biases to women. They are restricted to houses. They are still confined to rearing and bearing children. So women should be given opportunities to develop socially and economically. Free education should be given to them.
• Spread education: The spread of education changes the views of people. The educated men take mature decisions and prefer to delay marriage and adopt small family customs. Educated women are health mindful and avoid frequent pregnancies and thus help in lowering birth rate.
• Adoption: is also an effective way to curb population. Some parents do not have any children, despite expensive medical treatment. It is recommended that they should adopt orphan children. It will be helpful to orphan children and children to couples.
• Social Security: is necessary for people. It is the responsibility of the government to include more and more people under-social security schemes. So that they do not depend upon others in the event of old age, sickness, unemployment with these facilities they will have no desire for more children.
• Economic Measures: There has to be numerous economic measures taken as a preventive measure for population explosion. Government must devise policies for more employment opportunities. It is necessary to raise the employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas. Generally in rural areas there is disguised joblessness. Another economic measure for population control is the development of Agriculture and Industry. If agriculture and industry are correctly developed, a huge number of people will get employment. When their income is increased they would enhance their standard of living and accept small family norms. Good standard of living is a deterrent to large family norms. In order to maintain their enhanced standard of living, people prefer to have a small family.
• Urbanization: process can reduce population increase. It is reported that people in urban areas have a lower birth rate than those living in rural areas. Urbanization should be encouraged.
• There is a need to follow strict birth control measures such as China has adopted the strategy to decrease the birth rate. But it is not possible to reduce technological advancements to decrease the death rate in India. In order to reduce the birth rate, several government-funded agencies like the Family Planning Association of India spend excessive funds to promote family planning as a basic human right and the norm of a two-child family on a voluntary basis.
• It is done to achieve a balance between the population size and resources, to get young people ready for responsible attitudes in human sexuality, and to provide education and services to all. The family planning methods provided by the family planning program are vasectomy, tubectomy, IUD, conventional contraceptives (that is condoms, diaphragms, jelly/cream tubes, foam tables) and oral pills.
• Additionally, induced abortion is available, free of charge, in institutions recognized by the government to control population increase. However, the success of the family planning program in India depends on many factors such as literacy, religion and the region where the people live.

Road Ahead : 

• India’s TFR, 2%, is even lower than the replacement level, signifying a remarkable step in the population control parameters.
• India needs to adopt population control measures: The focus should be on strengthening public health infrastructure and raising awareness about the need for population control.Any forced control method will impact the rate of aging.

FAQs :  

1. What are the focus areas of the UP Population Bill?

ANS. 

• To increase the accessibility of contraceptive measures issued under the Family Planning Programme and provide a proper system for safe abortion.
• To reduce the newborns’ and maternal mortality rate.
• To provide for care of the elderly, and better management of education, health, and nutrition of adolescents between 11 to 19 years.

2. When is the World’s Population Day?

ANS. 11th July