About National Population Policy of 2000

The National Population Policy of 2000 is a policy framework implemented by

the Government of India. It aims to address the challenges and issues related to
population growth and family planning in the country. It aims to achieve
sustainable development by promoting responsible and planned parenthood.
The policy emphasizes the importance of providing accessible and affordable
reproductive healthcare services. It also highlights the importance of
empowering women and ensuring the well-being of communities.
Also, go through, Population Composition!
Objectives of NPP 2000
● The NPP's primary goal is to handle unmet healthcare infrastructure,
people, and contraception demands.
● Additionally, it seeks to offer integrated services for primary
reproductive and pediatric healthcare.
● By adopting cross-sectoral working strategies, the medium-term goal
is to raise the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to replacement levels (TFR of
2.1) by 2010.
● The long-term goal is to stabilize the population by 2045 at a level that
satisfies the demands of societal development, environmental
preservation, and sustainable economic growth.
Also, learn about Factors Affecting Population Distribution here!
Salient Features of NPP 2000
● To reap the most significant advantages from reproductive health
services, the NPP reinforces the government's goal, which promotes
educated, voluntary decision-making and public acceptance.
● It ensures that education is free and mandatory for all children until
age 14 while also lowering the failure rates for both males and females.
● It is lowering the nation's infant mortality rate (IMR) to under 30 per
1000 live births.
● Bringing down the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to less than 100 per
10,000 live births
● It is achieving the widespread immunization of all infants against
illnesses that vaccines can prevent.
● It encourages females to postpone marriage (preferably before 18
years and above 20).
● It is achieving 100% qualified individual deliveries and 80%
institutional deliveries.
● It is achieving 100% recording of births, funerals, marriages, and
pregnancies.
● It provides services for regulating fertility and contraception with
various options and universal access to knowledge and guidance.
● It is reducing AIDS transmission and fostering improved
communication between the National AIDS Control Organization and
the treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses (STI) and reproductive
tract infections (RTI) (NACO).
 ● It regulates and prevents communicable illnesses.
● AYUSH, or systems of Indian medicine, integration in reproductive and
infant health care.
● It is actively promoting the preference for limited families.
● It is bringing about the convergence of all related social welfare
programs so that family planning and assistance becomes a program
focused on the needs of the individual.
Learn about the Maternal Mortality Rate by clicking here!

Key Initiatives of National Population Policy of 2000

Added Options for Contraception
● The range of contraceptive methods has been expanded. This
includes new options such as injectable contraceptives and
centchroman.
● This provides individuals with a wider choice of contraceptives to meet
their specific needs.
Compensation Plan for Sterilization Acceptors
● The policy introduced a compensation plan for individuals who
undergo sterilization.
● This plan compensates the person undergoing sterilization. It also
compensates the team of healthcare providers for any lost earnings
during the process.
Mission Parivar Vikas
● Mission Parivar Vikas was launched to enhance access to family
planning services and contraceptives. This was launched in 146 high-
fertility areas across seven high-priority states.
● The mission aims to reach out to communities and provide them with
services related to family planning.
Postpartum Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (PPIUCD)
● The policy promotes the use of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive
devices.
● These devices are provided to women immediately after childbirth.
This is to ensure effective contraception and spacing between
pregnancies.
Home Delivery Schemes for Contraceptives
● Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are involved in
implementing a scheme for home delivery of contraceptives.
● This initiative aims to make contraceptives more accessible to
individuals. This is particularly for those residing in remote or
underserved areas.
Provision of Pregnancy Testing Kit
● The policy includes a plan to incorporate pregnancy testing devices in
the drug packages provided by ASHAs for community use.
● This enables easy access to pregnancy testing facilities. It allows
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individuals to determine their pregnancy status conveniently.

Family Planning Logistics Management Information System
● The policy emphasizes the establishment of a logistics management
information system for family planning.
● This system helps in the efficient management and distribution of
contraceptives.
Also visit, Family Planning Insurance Scheme!

Need For a New Population Policy or Changes In National

Population Policy 2000
● Data from the Economic Survey 2018–19 show that India's
demographic dividend will reach its height around 2041 when the
proportion of people who are working age is predicted to be 59%.
● By the end of the century, however, the global population is
anticipated to plateau and then begin to decline.
● The world is aging significantly as lifespans increase and reproduction
rates decline worldwide. Every fifth Indian will be older than 65 by
2050. By 2025, the elderly will comprise 12% of India's populace.
● Thomas Malthus' population theory states that population increase
and output should be balanced. The current populace must receive
targeted skills training and improved economic planning to become
valuable and employable.
● Chinese experience teaches us that population management policies
should remain the same lest unintended consequences result.
● For instance, China's one-child policy resulted in a steep decline in the
rate of population development but also a sharp increase in the
number of elderly people.
● Rather than putting excessive emphasis on lowering the fertility rate,
the Indian government should concentrate on setting up conditions to
guarantee gradual shifts in family size within the framework of a rising
economy.
● In the contemporary world, people's output is significantly impacted
by automation, which can occasionally result in job loss. Consider the
unregulated care industry. But it doesn't take the position of human
character and touch.
● By focusing on teenage health, education, and skill development, India
has a tiny window of time (the next few decades) to capitalize on the
potential of its young people. If not, India's population windfall could
turn into a demographic catastrophe.
● The decrease in fertility lessens their load. However, women comprise
two-thirds of the senior population because they typically live longer
than males. For India to benefit from these developments, the
population strategy must consider female equality.
● Employment options for women of all sexes should be improved in
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India, as well as the proportion of women working. Social and financial

support networks are necessary for elderly women.
● India's future depends on maximizing the potential of its young,
particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh,
where the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is greater than the country's
average.
● These States need more funding and assistance to guarantee their job,
skill development, and education lest they incur a significant financial
obligation.
● 2000 federal demographic strategy It was a well-intentioned strategy
that aimed to lower infant mortality rates and promote family planning.
However, it must focus on sexual health and the aging population.
Additionally, states have their own demographic plans.
● Instead of adhering to the conventional narrative of population
management, the policy can now be oriented towards maximizing the
population as a resource for India's growth. It must adopt a new
perspective and concentrate on creating a content, healthy, and
industrious populace.
● The two-child standard suggests a coercive strategy focused mainly
on one group. It deflects focus from the current, intricate population-
related issues. It can be a goal at most, but population strategy
shouldn't be centered on it.
Also go through, Family Planning Program in India!

Evolution of Population Policies of India

There were efforts to develop suggestions and remedies for India's growing
population issue even before independence. The following lists the initiatives
taken before and after freedom:
The Radha Kamal Mukherjee Commission (1940)
Under the leadership of social scientist Radha Kamal Mukherjee, the Indian
National Congress established a commission in 1940. This group recommends
slowing the population's rapid increase after 1921.
To slow down population growth, the organization recommended self-control,
spreading awareness of straightforward, safe birth control techniques, and
banning marriage, among other things.
Bhore Committee
The "deliberate restriction of the family" was suggested as a population-control
strategy by the Sir Joseph Bhore-led Health Survey and Development
Commission. This group was established in 1943 and delivered its final report in
1946.
● In the 1950s, India was among the first developing nations to introduce
a state-sponsored family control scheme.
● In 1952, a commission for population strategy was created. However,
the policies designed in the early 1950s were mainly random and
unsuccessful.
 ● A Central Family Planning Commission was established in 1956, and its
main objective was contraception.
GOI introduced the first National Demographic Strategy in 1976. As part of this
strategy, some steps are being taken to slow population increase, such as:
● Lowered the limit at which sexes may legally marry to 21 and 18,
respectively.
● They offered financial rewards for using birth control.
● It increased female literacy through both official and casual means.
● The established population was a criterion for determining the amount
of central aid provided to states.
● They used various social platforms to spread awareness of family
assistance programs.
● Populating the official education system with population instruction
● Coercive tactics were employed during the Emergency (1975–1977) to
slow the population increase. Massive forcible sterilizations took place.
This, however, backfired and tarnished the government's overall family
control program.
● After the Emergency ended in 1977, the new administration abandoned
the use of coercion in family planning, and the program was called the
family assistance program.
● The National Health Policy's aim, enacted in 1983, was to "move
towards the goal of population stabilization" while emphasizing
"securing the small family standard through voluntary efforts."
● To "suggest policies and principles adopt a long-term holistic
perspective of development, population expansion, and environmental
preservation," a Committee on Population was appointed in 1991.
● In its 1993 report, the Committee recommended creating a National
Population Policy.
● An Expert Group, therefore, created the proposed national population
strategy under the direction of Dr MS Swaminathan.
● In 2000, the National Demographic Strategy became official.
Click to learn about the Demographic Dividend!
Way Forward
● With the correct execution of programs like the PM Kaushal Vikas
Yojana, the Skill India Mission, and the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan,
adequate investments (at least 5% GDP) are required in family
planning and youth capacity development.
● India should adopt a family assistance strategy rather than a family
planning approach.
● Informed decision-making about one's reproduction, health, and
welfare should be a priority for policymakers.
● Influenza COVID-19 How the epidemic has impacted India's teens and
young people's lives needs to be addressed with a particular focus.
● A stronger system for protecting the elderly must be in place, and
institutional or governmental capacity needs to be reinforced.