As per World Population Prospects – The 2012 Revision, the population of India will cross the population of China by 2028. The projected population for India in 2028 will be 1.454 billion, while that of China will be 1.452 billion.
The projection of population of India by the year 2060 is not available.
The Government has been focussing on family planning activities as one of the many measures for achieving population stabilization. As a result of the efforts of Government the decadal growth rate of the country has declined significantly from 21.54% for the period 1991-2000 to 17.64% during 2001-11. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) also declined from 3.6 in 1991 to 2.4 in 2012 as per Sample Registration System (SRS). 23 states/UTs have achieved the replacement TFR of 2.1 or less. Various measures taken by Government of India under Family Planning is given below:-
Strategies for attaining population stabilization
Interventions under family planning program:
1. Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep of beneficiaries: The govt. has launched a scheme to utilize the services of ASHA to deliver contraceptives at the doorstep of beneficiaries. 8.85 ASHAs are now distributing contraceptives at the door step.
2. Scheme for ASHAs to ensure spacing in births: The scheme is operational from 16th May, 2012. Under this scheme, services of ASHAs are being utilised for counselling of newly married couples to ensure delay of 2 years in birth after marriage and couples with 1 child to have spacing of 3 years after the birth of 1st child.
3. Pregnancy testing kits have been made an integral part of ASHA kit and are being used to diagnose pregnancy early, so as to ensure early registration of pregnancy/safe abortion services.
4. A new family planning method, i.e. post-partum IUCD (PPIUCD) has been introduced in the program. PPIUCD services are being provided by trained health providers in government hospitals, within 48 hours after the delivery.
5. Basket of choice has been expanded with introduction of a new IUCD-375 of 5 years effectivity, in addition to the already existing IUCD–380A of 10 years effectivity.
6. Dedicated counselors (RMNCH counsellors) are placed at high case load facilities for providing family planning counseling to clients.
7. Celebration of World Population Day 11th July & Fortnight: The event is observed over a month long period, split into fortnight of mobilization/sensitization followed by a fortnight of assured family planning service delivery and has been made a mandatory activity from 2012-13 and starts from 27th June each year.
8. Other On-going interventions:
· Assured delivery of family planning services for both IUCD and sterilisation.
· National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme’ (NFPIS) under which clients are insured in the eventualities of deaths, complications and failures following sterilization and the providers/ accredited institutions are indemnified against litigations in those eventualities.
· Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors – under the scheme MoHFW provides compensation for loss of wages to the beneficiary and also to the service provider (& team) for conducting sterilisations.
· More emphasis on Spacing methods like IUCD.
· Availability of Fixed Day Static Services at all facilities.
· Quality care in Family Planning services by establishing Quality Assurance Committees at state and district levels.
· Contraceptives supply management up to peripheral facilities.
· Demand generation activities in the form of display of posters, billboards and other audio and video materials in the various facilities.
Following stretagies have been taken by Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh/National Population Stabilization Fund as population control measures:
Advocacy & IEC activities:- JSK as a part of its awareness and advocacy efforts on population stabilization, has established networks and partnerships with other ministries, development partners, private sectors, corporate and professional bodies for spreading its activities at the national, state, district and block level.
Prerna Strategy:- JSK has launched this strategy for helping to push up the age of marriage of girls and delay in first child and spacing in second child the birth of children in the interest of health of young mothers and infants. The couple who adopt this strategy awarded suitably. This helps to change the mindsets of the community.
Santushti Strategy:- Under this strategy, Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh, invites private sector gynaecologists and vasectomy surgeons to conduct sterilization operations in Public Private Partnership mode. The private hospitals/nursing home who achieved target to 10 or more are suitably awarded as per strategy.