Discuss the National Population Policy (NPP) 2000:

         

NPP, 2000 has laid down three objectives; immediate, medium and long term goal called the national socio-demographic goals. 

The immediate objectives are to meet the needs of contraception, health infrastructure, and health personnel and to provide integrated services for basic reproductive and child health care. 

The medium term objective is to lower down the total fertility rates to the replacement level (i.e. 2.1) by 2010. 

The long term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045. NPP 2000 has set the following broader goals for 2010: 

·         Universal access to quality contraceptive services in order to lower the total Fertility Rate to   2.1 by adopting small family norm.

·   To reduce Infant Mortality Rate to below 30 per thousand live births. Promote delayed marriage for girls, not earlier than age 18 and preferably after 20 years of age.

·         Reduction in Maternal Mortality Rate to less than 100 per one-lakh live births.

·         Universalisation of primary education and reduction in the drop out rates at primary and secondary levels.

·         Universal immunizations of children against vaccine preventable diseases.

·         Access to information/counseling and services for fertility regulation and contraception with a wide basket of choices.

           NPP, 2000 has laid down the emphasis on the decentralized planning and execution of programmes and seek the role of NGOs and private sector to improve its implementation. The National Commission on Population has been set up to improve the coordination of work between the ground level machinery and Government. The commission will review the implementation of NPP from time to time. The policy also involves the promotional and motivational measures for popularizing the small family norms.

 India's Demographic Achievement
Half a century after formulating the national family welfare programme, India has:
• Reduced crude birth rate (CBR) from 40.8 (1951) to 24 (2008);
• Reduced crude death rate from 27.4 in 1951 to 8 in 2008;
• The infant mortality rate (IMR) from 146 per 1000 live births (1951) to 58 per 1000 live births (2008);
• Quadrupled the couple protection rate (CPR) from 10.4 percent (1971) to 44 percent (1999);
• Added 28 years to life expectancy from 37 years to 65 years in 2008
• Achieved nearly universal awareness of the need for and methods of family planning, and
• Reduced total fertility rate from 6.0 (1951) to 2.8 (2008)
Source: World Population Data Sheet, 2008

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