‘Population versus Planet’ Conference

In News: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare expressed his views in the Population v/s Planet Conference on 21st Feb 2021.

• It is a part of WION and Zee Media’s year-long campaign called ‘Mission Sustainability: Population Vs Planet’.

Key Highlights of the meeting

• The world population has increased from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.8 billion today.
• Pressure on Resources increases drastically due to the high population.
• Indian Efforts related to Family Planning:
  • India was one of the first countries in the world to formulate a National Family Planning Program way back in 1952.
  • It was later expanded to cover maternal and child health as well as adolescent health and nutrition.
  • Even though India’s population has increased from 36 crore in 1951 to 121.02 crore in 2011, the country has witnessed a significant decline in both fertility and mortality.
  • The crude birth rate which was recorded at 40.8 per 1000 in 1951 has declined to 20.0 in 2018.
  • Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 6.0 in 1951 to 2.2 in 2015-16.
  • The death rate in India has declined from 7 in 2012 to 6.2 in 2018.
• India has been an important and active member of the Family Planning 2020 partnership, advancing collaborative efforts to address the policy, financing, delivery and socio-cultural barriers to women.
  • Since 2012, India increased modern contraceptive use to 55%.
  • The Partnership helped India add two new contraceptives to the National contraceptive basket:
    • Injectable MedroxyProgesterone Acetate (MPA)
    • Centchroman
• The success story of Mission Parivar Vikas, 2016 was also highlighted:
  • Family Planning Logistics Management and Information system was developed under the Digital India initiative for last-mile availability of contraceptives.
  • Demand Generation: A holistic media campaign covered all aspects of Information Education & Communication as well as Behaviour Change Communication
  • Post-pregnancy contraception: More than 10 million pregnant women benefiting through Post-Partum Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Device (PPIUCD).
  • With persistent efforts on three key fronts of Supplies, Services and Information, India was able to provide modern contraceptive access to 14.2 Crore beneficiaries.
    • It averted 5.6 Crore unintended pregnancies, 18.6 lakh unsafe abortion and 30 thousand maternal deaths in 2019.
•  National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5) has also applauded India’s remarkable achievements in Family Planning.
  • Out of 22 states which were surveyed
    • 20 have shown an increase in modern contraceptive use.
    • 21 showing a decline in unmet needs for contraception.
    • 19 of them have shown declining fertility.
  • India is on the verge of achieving the replacement Total Fertility Rate with 28 out of 36 states & UTs having already achieved the replacement Total fertility rate of 2.1.
• Other Highlights:
  • Demographic transition in India:
    • The youth population in the age group of 15-24 years is projected to decline from 233 million in 2011 to 227 million in 2036.
    • The proportion of the working-age population is expected to increase from 61% in 2011 to 65% in 2036.
    • India is adding 12 million people to the working-age population each year.
  • Over 9 lakh ASHA workers in the country are the drivers of health and represent the empowered rural women.
  • The Aspirational Districts Program is based on Health, Nutrition and Education as important pillars.
  • India made remarkable progress in the past by reducing teenage marriages from 47% to 26.8% and teenage fertility from 16% to 7%.
  • India has also expanded women’s education and female workforce participation.

Benefits of population control and family planning

• Less Burden on Resources and Infrastructure
• Better education and skilling opportunity
• More spending capacity of the family on each child.

Demerits of Over-emphasis on Family Planning and Population Control

• Sudden Population Decline: As per Economic Survey 2018-19, India is set to witness a sharp slowdown in population growth in the next two decades.
• Ageing Population: As evident from Japan and China, the population is a great resource but old age people are not.
  • The ageing population has brought down economic productivity.

Conclusion

• Rather than focussing on reducing population, the focus must be on managing demography and seeing population as a Resource. (Economic Survey 2018)
• Further, family planning must continue as a voluntary scheme.
• The government should focus on diversifying contraceptive methods available to cater to the needs of diverse sects of people.

Source: PIB