Essay on Family Planning in India for Students and Children

500 words essay on family planning.

Essay on Family Planning in India – India is the first country of the developing nations that initiated a state-supported family planning program. Furthermore, this type of program is a must if you look at the population of a country like India. Also, the statistics show a great rise in the population throughout the decades.

Essay on Family Planning in India

In addition, India is the second-largest population of the world with a population of more than 1.3 billion. Furthermore, national fertility is also quite high and every 20 days the population rise by 1 million people.

Moreover, according to the statistician of the U.N (United Nations), the population of India will exceed the population of China by the year 2028.

Most noteworthy, the Indian government recognized this problem and initiated a family planning measure some time ago to control this problem.

History of Family Planning

Raghunath Dhondo Karve is the person who recognized this problem first place. He also recognizes the need for population control. Furthermore, he publishes a magazine named Samaj Swasthya from 1927 to 1953, in which he debated that the best way to serve the society is by controlling the population through means of contraceptive measure.

Furthermore, Karve urged the Indian government to take initiative and steps to control the population by the control program, an attempt which was stopped by Mahatma Gandhi on the ground that people should practice self-control rather than depending on birth control.

Moreover, by 1951, it has become clear to the Indian government that family planning was becoming increasingly urgent to face the fast-growing population . After that, the government decided to create a state-sponsored family planning program in all the states of the country.

In addition, the government put a five-year plan into place; these plans focus on the economic restructuring and growth of the country. But, I 1971 the Prime Minister of India put a forced sterilization policy into place in the country.

However, the program was meant to sterile only those who have two or more children. But, the program ended up sterilizing many unmarried and people who politically opposed the regime.

Moreover, by the time the new government came into power the damage has been already done and people started to see family planning with hatred. That’s why the government shifts its focus from men to a birth control method for women.

Family Planning in Recent Years

The measure to control the birth control method for women not unsuccessful. Furthermore, from 1965 to 2009, the use of contraceptives in women increased from 13 percent to 48 percent. In addition, the fertility rate also goes down from 5.7 percent to 2.4 during the year 1966 to 2012.

Moreover, many states adopted policies that prohibit a person who has more than two children to apply for a government job.

To sum it up, India has come a long way in practicing birth control but still has a long way to go. Moreover, most of the women are aware of the birth control measure, but they cite difficulty in getting access to these measures.

Also, the traditional mindset of most of the Indians related to children also doesn’t help either. Besides, the decreased fertility rate has gone down but it isn’t enough to control the population explosion.

However, India needs to more than just birth control to stop this problem.

FAQs about Essay on Family Planning in India

Q.1 Name the person who first recognizes the importance of birth control in India. A.1 Raghunath Dhondo Karve is the person who recognizes this problem. He also published it in his magazine.

Q.2 What is birth control? A.2 Birth control is a practice by which the birth rate of children is controlled.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

tutor

  • Travelling Essay
  • Picnic Essay
  • Our Country Essay
  • My Parents Essay
  • Essay on Favourite Personality
  • Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
  • Essay on Knowledge is Power
  • Essay on Gurpurab
  • Essay on My Favourite Season
  • Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Google Play

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

A Plus Topper

Improve your Grades

Essay on Family Planning in India | Family Planning in India Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Family Planning in India: The Government of India widely sponsors family planning in India. From 1965 to 2009, the rate of contraceptive usage has tripled, and the fertility rate has more than halved. Still, the national fertility rate in total numbers remains high, creating concern for long-term population growth. India sums up to 1,000,000 people to its population every 20 days. The extensive family plan has become critical in an effort to restrain the predicted population of two billion by the twenty-first-century end. In this article, you can read the short and long essay on family planning in India, its history, development, government’s role, and impacts.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Family Planning in India for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Family Planning in India” for reference.

Short Essay on Family Planning in India 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Family Planning in India is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

India is a developing country. It is the second-largest country globally and is increasing fast compared to the dwindling and depleting resources. By the completion of this century, it would expand to 2000 million people. It displays an accretion of about 2.4 per cent. Consequently, the experts have begun blaring warning bells. This rising in population has created serious problems.

More population indicates high pressure on our food sources, housing, clothing, employment, education, etc. With the excellent progressions in science, medicine and health-care, the death rate has come down considerably, but the pace of birth continues almost the same. It makes adequate family planning measures a necessity. In the inadequacy of control on population, all five Year Plans, including developmental schemes, are obliged to be failures.

Family Planning aims to reduce the birth rate and better health, family welfare, and care for children and mothers. To accomplish these goals, a broad-based mass motivation and education programme is being pursued earnestly. It is entirely a voluntary programme and an essential part of the overall growth strategy, including maternity, health, infant care, family welfare, women’s rights, and nutrition.

Essay on Family Planning in India

Introduction

Family planning is used as a substitution for the use of contraception. However, it frequently involves methods and practices in addition to contraception. Family planning has become a catch-all slogan for many of the work initiated in this area. However, modern notions of family planning tend to set a woman and her childbearing decisions at the centre of the discussion, as notions of women’s empowerment and reproductive sovereignty have augmented traction in various parts of the world. It is usually implemented to a female-male couple who need to restrict the number of children they have or control pregnancy timing (also known as spacing children). Family planning may incorporate sterilisation, as well as abortion.

Family Planning History

The history of family planning is complicated and long. It records back to the initial days of humankind. There has never been a point when women and girls didn’t want to constrain how many children and when should they have.

From 1927 to 1953, Raghunath Dhondo Karve published a Marathi magazine Samaj Swasthya. In the magazine, he constantly discussed the issues of society’s well-being, including population control through contraceptives. He explained that using contraception would help to stop unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions.

Karve proposed that the Indian Government should take up a population control plan, but was met with defiance. Mahatma Gandhi was the primary foe of birth control. He believed that self-control is the best contraceptive. However, Periyar’s opinions were strikingly dissimilar from that of Gandhi. He saw birth control as a medium for women to control their own lives. India became the first country in the developing world to build a state-sponsored family planning program named the “National Family Planning Program”. The program’s chief purposes were to decrease fertility rates and slow population growth as a medium to propel economic development.

India’s family planning program was defaced by a “vertical approach” rather than working on additional factors. These factors influencing population growth include education, poverty, public health care. Due to the foreign aid moving in for the family planning programs, there has continuously been a foreign intrusion in designing India’s family planning programs without valuing the country’s actual socio-economic conditions.

In India, the family planning program helped in reducing 19.9% birth rate. By 1996, the program had been estimated to have prevented 16.8 crore births. This is partly due to government interference that founded many clinics and the implementation of fines for those who avoided family planning.

Long Essay on Family Planning in India 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Family Planning in India is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

The Indian government has been pivotal towards efforts of family planning. From 1965 to 2009, contraceptive use has tripled – from 13% of married women in 1970 to 48% in 2009. India’s fertility rate has halved from 5.7 to 2.4 from 1966 to 2012, although the national fertility rate remains high, creating concern for long-term population growth. India sums up to 1,000,000 people to its population every 20 days.

In 2016, India’s total fertility rate was 2.30 births per woman, and 15.6 million abortions were performed. High abortions rates follow a high number of unintended pregnancies, with a rate of 70.1 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women aged between 15 to 49 years. Overall, India’s abortions make up for one-third of pregnancies and out of all pregnancies occurring, almost half are not planned. On the Demographic Transition Model, India falls in the third stage due to diminished birth rates and death rates. By 2026, it is predicted to be in stage four once the Total Fertility Rate reaches 2.1.

Family Planning History 

In 1952 the National Family Planning Programme was started. The programme’s chief objectives were: Lower fertility rates and slow population growth as a means to propel economic growth. Over the course of the years, the preferred method of birth control changed from the rhythm method to IUDs and sterilisation.  In the 1970s, the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had conducted a forced sterilisation programme which resulted to people having an aversion to sterilisation. By the year 1996, the family planning programme had triumphantly prevented an estimated 16.8 crore births.

India Family Planning National Programme 

In 1952 India was the first country to launch a national programme for family planning. The family planning programme has been chiefly in place due to the efforts of the Indian government. This programme had experienced a massive conversion from its initial days when the focus was on a clinical procedure to the present day when the focus is on reproductive health and the reduction of maternal and child mortality, infant mortality rates, and morbidity.

National Population Policy (NPP) was launched in 2000 and has helped reduce fertility rates. As part of the programme, the government has instituted several clinics for family planning and reproductive health. There is also information through media, propagating family planning, the requirement for spacing between children, and having fewer children per couple.

The government has also familiarised people with the slogan, “Hum Do, Humare Do”, for promoting the Two-Child Norm. There are also penalties, as no government jobs if the person has more than two children. However, this has also failed in some regions leading to more sex-selective abortions.

Contraceptive Usage 

Women in India are not given adequate guidance on contraception usage and what they are planting in their bodies. From 2005 to 2006, data was collected to designate only 15.6% of women using contraception in India were informed of all their options and what those options actually do. The use of contraceptives has been growing gradually in India. In 1970, 13% of married women used modern contraceptive techniques, which rose to 35% by 1997 and 48% by 2009.

Contraception awareness is near-universal amongst married women in India. However, by 2009, 76% of married Indians reported important problems in obtaining a choice of contraceptive techniques. In 2009, 48.4% of married women were expected to use a contraceptive method. About three-fourths of these were using female sterilisation, which is the most common birth-control method in India. Condoms, at a mere 3%, were the next most common method.

Contraception usage varied greatly among Indian states, with Meghalaya being the lowest at 20%, closely followed by Bihar and UP with a reported usage of 30% . It is essential to record that sterilisation is a general practice in India. In India, contraceptive practices are skewed heavily towards terminal procedures like sterilisation, which means that contraception is practised essentially for birth limitation rather than birth planning. It is natural to use camps to enforce sterilisation. This method can be executed with or without approval.

Modern Methods 

Advancement of reproductive health and family planning has been restricted. In 2016, India’s infant mortality rate was 34.6 per 1000 live births, and by 2015, maternal mortality remains at 174 per 100,000 live births. Leading maternal mortality reasons include sepsis, haemorrhage, complexities of abortion, hypertensive disorders, infection, premature birth, birth asphyxia, pneumonia, and diarrhoea for infants.

In 2005, the Government of India founded the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to address some of these issues amongst others. The objective of the NRHM involves the provision of adequate health-care to rural areas, particularly to poor and vulnerable populations.

Through the NRHM, special stipulations have been made to discuss concerns for reproductive health, primarily for the youngsters who are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviours and less inclined to visit health facilities than adults. Conclusively, the NRHM aims to expedite India towards the Millennium Development Goal objectives for reproductive health.

  • Picture Dictionary
  • English Speech
  • English Slogans
  • English Letter Writing
  • English Essay Writing
  • English Textbook Answers
  • Types of Certificates
  • ICSE Solutions
  • Selina ICSE Solutions
  • ML Aggarwal Solutions
  • HSSLive Plus One
  • HSSLive Plus Two
  • Kerala SSLC
  • Distance Education

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

  • Publications
  • Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

  • Advanced Search
  • Journal List
  • Indian J Med Res
  • v.148(Suppl 1); 2018 Dec

Family planning in India: The way forward

Poonam muttreja.

Population Foundation of India, New Delhi, India

Sanghamitra Singh

Given the magnitude of the family planning programme in India, there is a need to strengthen the coordination of all its aspects, focusing on planning, programmes, monitoring, training and procurement. The quality of care in family planning must be a major focus area to ensure the success of family planning programmes. Despite serious efforts and progress, India has yet to achieve its family planning goals. Furthermore, there is a need for greater male participation both as enablers and beneficiaries and also address the sexual and reproductive needs of the youth. It is imperative for the government to ensure the prioritization of family planning in the national development agenda. Family planning is crucial for the achievement of the sustainable development goals, and subsequent efforts need to be made to improve access and strengthen quality of family planning services.

Introduction

Over the years, social scientists have argued the relationship between demographic change and economic outcomes, and it is now well established that improving literacy and economic conditions for individuals lowers birth rates, while low fertility in turn plays a positive role in economic growth. Family planning (FP) programmes impact women's health by providing universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services and counselling information. FP also has far-reaching benefits which go beyond health, impacting all 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) 1 ; however, the focus is on goals 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10. FP has been recognized as one of the most cost-effective solutions for achieving gender equality and equity (goal 5) by empowering women with knowledge and agency to control their bodies and reproductive choices by accessing contraceptive methods 1 . A women's access to her chosen family planning method strongly aligns with gender equality. Birth spacing can have great implications on health, for instance, reduction in malnutrition (goal 2) and long-term good health (goal 3) for the mother and the child 1 . Access to contraceptives helps in delaying, spacing and limiting pregnancies; lowers healthcare costs and ensures that more girls complete their education, enter and stay in the workforce, eventually creating gender parity at workplace.

Today, the demographic dividend is in India's favour and FP can and should be used to leverage it. Longer lives and smaller families lead to more working-age people supporting fewer dependents. This reduces costs and increases the country's wealth, economic growth (goal 8) and productivity of the people. Ultimately, these result in reduction in poverty (goal 1) and inequalities (goal 10) leading to the achievement of the SDGs through a multiplier effect.

Research shows that adequate attention to family planning in countries with high birth rates can not only reduce poverty and hunger but also avert 32 per cent of maternal and nearly 10 per cent of childhood deaths, respectively 2 . There would be additional significant contributions to women's empowerment, access to education and long-term environmental sustainability 2 . The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that ‘every dollar invested in family planning saves four dollars in other health and development areas, including maternal health, immunization, malaria, education, water and sanitation’ 3 , 4 . Thus, investing in family planning is the most intelligent step that a nation like India can take to improve the overall socio-economic fabric of the society and reap high returns on investments and drive the country's growth.

With over half of its population in the reproductive age group and 68.84 per cent of India's population residing in villages, opportunities are plenty but so are the challenges 5 . It is still an unrealized dream of the healthcare system to be able to reach the last mile, especially women belonging to scheduled castes and tribes (SC and ST) in distant and remote parts of the country. As a result, the mortality among these groups is high. Scheduled tribes in India have the highest total fertility rate (3.12), followed by SC (2.92), other backward class (OBC) (2.75) and other social groups (2.35) 6 . Contraceptive use is the lowest among women from ST (48%) followed by OBC (54%) and SC (55%) while female sterilization is the highest among women from OBC (40%) followed by SC (38%), ST (35%) and other social groups (61.8%) 6 . There is an urgent need for universal and equitable access to quality health services including contraceptive methods.

Favourable policy environment to meet high unmet need for contraception

An estimate done by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, states that if the current unmet need for family planning is met over the next five years, India could avert 35000 maternal deaths and 12 lakh infant deaths 7 . If safe abortion services could be ensured along with increase in family planning, the nation could save approximately USD 65000 million 7 . Yet, the fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 8 states that almost 13 per cent of women have an unmet need for family planning including a six per cent unmet need for spacing methods 9 . The consistency in these numbers since the NFHS-3 in 2005-2006 6 suggests that despite increasing efforts to create awareness on the subject, there is an existing gap between a woman's desired fertility and her ability to access family planning methods and services.

There is a direct correlation between the number of contraceptive options available and the willingness of people to use them. As shown in Fig. 1A , it has been estimated that the addition of one method available to at least half of the population correlates to an increase in use of modern contraceptives by 4-8 percentage points. Fig. 1A shows a projection of the rise of modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in India, based on the trends observed by Ross and Stover 10 and using the current mCPR of 47.8 for India (from NFHS 4) 8 as the base value.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJMR-148-1-g001.jpg

Effect of number of contraceptive methods on modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR). (A) The graphic is a projection of the rise in modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in India with every additional contraceptive method. This estimation is based on the mCPR of 47.8 from the National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS-4). Source : Refs 8 , 10 . (B) Evidence on contraceptive method mix in developing countries South/South-East Asia. The mCPR has been represented on a scale of 100 percentage points to depict the distribution of contraceptive method mix for each country. Source : Refs 8 , 13 , 14 .

Expanding the basket of contraceptive choices led to an increase in overall contraceptive prevalence in Matlab, Bangladesh, where household provision of injectable contraceptives in 1977 led to an increase in contraceptive prevalence from 7 to 20 per cent 11 , 12 . As of 2015, injectable and pills together accounted for about 73 per cent of the modern contraceptive usage in Bangladesh, which has an mCPR of 55.6 per cent 13 . In addition to Bangladesh, Fig. 1B shows the mCPR of other neighbouring South East Asian countries such as Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka where the availability of seven (or more) contraceptive methods corresponds with a higher mCPR. India, with five available methods of contraception (as of 2015), recorded the lowest mCPR among these countries ( Fig. 1B ) 8 , 13 , 14 .

In India, efforts have been made over the years by the government to create a favourable policy environment for family planning, in the form of several important policy and programmatic decisions. At the London Summit on Family Planning held in 2012, the Government of India made a global commitment to provide family planning services to an additional 48 million new users by 2020 14 . According to the FP 2020 country action plan 2016 14 , the government aims at focusing on mCPR, keeping in mind the current annual mCPR increase rate of one per cent as compared to the 2.35 per cent annual increase required to reach the FP2020 goals for India 14 . As a signatory of the SDGs in 2015, India has committed itself to achieving good health and well-being (goal 3) as well as gender equality (goal 5) by 2030 15 .

In 2015, the announcement of the introduction of three new contraceptive methods - injectable contraceptive, centchroman and progestin only pills by the government of India 16 indicated a much-needed shift from the terminal method of female sterilization, which accounted for two-thirds of contraceptive use in India until 2015-2016, to more modern limiting methods of contraception 9 . Introduction of new contraceptive methods has always been marred by controversies surrounding their efficacy, side effects and safety. Consistent efforts need to be made to educate not just the users but also the service providers in every aspect surrounding a newly introduced method so that their capacities are strengthened. The users will also benefit from the strengthening of service providers; they will have better, more accurate access to information surrounding various contraceptive options, enabling them to make more informed choices. The third and equally important partner is the media. Greater efforts need to be made by both the government and civil society organizations to educate media to promote unbiased reporting and avoid creating panic on introduction of new methods.

Like any medical solution, contraceptive methods can also have side effects but it is imperative to note that the ability to access the available range of contraceptive choices is every woman's reproductive right. Implementation of pilot programmes is of utmost significance and relevance to generate further evidence on the efficacy of various contraceptives in different contexts. This enables a better understanding of the impediments in introduction as well as sustained usage of new contraceptives. To prevent early discontinuation and also dispel-related myths and misconceptions, women will need proper counselling on the usage and side effects of contraceptives.

Empowering community health workers to ensure better quality of care

India has close to 900,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) who are the access point for meeting the health needs and demands of the remotest sections of the population, especially women and children 17 . In addition to the ASHAs, other community health workers such as the auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (RMNCH) counsellors and adolescent health counsellors are crucial in covering for the shortage of specialized healthcare providers in the country. Capacity building of community health workers can be of significance in reaching the last mile. The training of frontline workers has to be technical and beyond; there needs to be greater emphasis on trainings around community mobilization and counselling for contraceptive technologies, addressing myths and misconceptions prevailing in the communities regarding modern methods of contraception.

Quality of care (QoC), consisting of its crucial components such as access to contraceptive choices, quality counselling services, information and follow ups, can ensure that the unmet need of millions of women across the country is met, and there is an accelerated reduction in fertility. Efficient responsiveness to users not only creates demand but also ensures return of the clients, ensuring long-term effectiveness and sustainability of the programme. To ensure that quality services reach the last mile, services need to be geographically convenient. And finally, quality services cannot be provided in the absence of adequate infrastructure and competent and unbiased service providers and frontline workers.

The landmark verdict in the Devika Biswas versus Union of India case in 2016 made a number of recommendations to ensure a diligent functioning of the Quality Assurance Committees at the State and district levels 18 . The judgment took cognizance of “The Robbed of Choice and Dignity” report of the multiorganizational fact-finding mission led by Population Foundation of India (PFI) on the sterilization deaths in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh in November 2014 19 . It also directed the State and Union government to move away from a fixed target-based approach for family planning. And finally, it made specific recommendations to the government to improve the quality of services being provided under the family planning programme. This was a significant move to advance women's reproductive rights and choices in the last several decades and ensures a promising way forward for family planning in India.

Recognizing family planning as a human rights issue

Women's health goes beyond providing technical solutions or increasing the availability of contraceptive methods. Of tremendous significance is a woman's agency, choice and access to quality reproductive services. Access to quality family planning is not only a human right; it is extremely important for individual and societal well-being, and for the nation's development as a whole.

Addressing critical indicators such as child marriage and early pregnancy

Child marriage violates the basic rights of children and especially the right to enjoy a free and joyful childhood. India is among the countries with the highest number of girls married before the age of 18 20 . Early marriage is typically followed by immediate childbearing. A systematic review of 23 programmes from Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal and India conducted by PFI showed that social pressure to prove fertility, insufficient knowledge on contraceptives and limited decision-making power among women were the main reasons for the high levels of early pregnancy 21 . The country needs policies in place that empower women, rather than those that restrict access to contraception.

According to NFHS-4, eight per cent women between 15 and 19 yr of age were either already mothers or pregnant 8 . NFHS-4 data also reveals that between 2005-2006 and 2015-2016, the percentage of women (between 20 and 24 yr) married before 18 yr of age dropped by 21 per cent, while there was a 12 per cent decrease in the percentage of men married before the age of 21 8 . While these figures depict a positive trend, one cannot ignore the fact that over one out of four (27% of girls) were married before the age of 18.

The government and civil society organizations should continue to work on the issue of child marriage by adopting different strategies including, but not limited to, raising awareness, behaviour change communication (BCC), community participation, conducting empowerment programmes for adolescents and not merely offering cash incentives.

Easy access to safe abortion services for women

The World Health Organization has stated that ‘every eight minutes a woman in a developing nation will die of complications arising from an unsafe abortion’ 22 . An estimated 15.6 million abortions occur annually in India 23 . Only five per cent of abortions in India occur in public health facilities, which are the primary access point for healthcare for poor and rural women 23 . Unsafe abortions account for 14.5 per cent of all maternal deaths globally 24 and are most common in developing countries in Africa, Latin America and South and Southeast Asia, with restrictive abortion laws, while the unmet need continues to be high. Such abortions are preventable by ensuring access to quality family planning, safe abortion and counselling services as well as by providing comprehensive sex education 25 .

The social stigma surrounding abortion compels women to resort to unsafe abortion methods at the hands of unqualified service providers. In the Indian context, a study conducted in Bihar and Jharkhand found that abortion providers in both the public and private sectors favoured offering abortion and counselling services to married rather than unmarried women 26 . The same study pointed out that only 31 per cent of all participating providers agreed that all women regardless of marital status should receive information on contraception on request 26 . This act of restricting abortion services to women based on their marital status highlights the prejudice of providers against unmarried women and leads to high instances of unsafe abortions in the country.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP), 1971 intends to provide safe and easily accessible abortion services to women with unwanted pregnancies on the approval of a medical practitioner, provided the pregnancy is within 20 wk gestation 27 . In India, unsafe abortion is routinely performed by unregistered medical practitioners without any medical training as well as by women who prefer to self-medicate themselves. Such practices often lead to severe health complications. According to International Centre for Research on Women, 59 per cent of women in Madhya Pradesh surveyed revealed that they had an abortion because they did not want any more children. In addition, 22 per cent confessed using abortion as a proxy to contraception and as a means of birth spacing 28 .

To improve access to safe abortion services, a draft amendment bill to the MTP Act, 2014 has been proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which allows abortion between 20 and 24 wk if the pregnancy involves risk to the mother and child or has been caused by rape 29 . It would also allow Ayurveda and Unani practitioners to carry out medical abortions. While increasing the time limit is in line with the technological advancements and would give the couple adequate time to decide, it can also lead to an increase in sex-selective abortions in the country.

Finally, there is a paradox when it comes to men's attitude towards abortion which needs to be acknowledged and addressed. Men need to be more involved in every dimension of sexual and reproductive health and family planning, right from being users of contraception to being supportive partners to their significant other as she makes a crucial decision about abortion.

Enhanced male engagement in family planning

In many parts of the world including India, family planning is largely viewed as a women's issue. A disproportionate burden for the use of contraception falls on Indian women. Female sterilization accounts for more than 75 per cent of the overall modern contraceptive use in India ( Fig. 1B ). In contrast, India's neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka exhibit a more balanced method mix scenario which subsequently translates into a higher mCPR ( Fig. 1B ).

As per NFHS-4 data, the two methods of contraception available to men - vasectomy and condoms - cumulatively account for about 12 per cent of the overall mCPR suggesting that women are the driving force behind the family planning vehicle in India 8 , and 40.2 per cent men think it is a woman's responsibility to avoid getting pregnant 30 . Most family planning programmes focus on women as primary contraceptive users while men are viewed as supportive partners, despite evidence depicting interest from male users to existing programming 31 . There needs to be greater recognition of the fact that decision-making on contraceptive use is the shared responsibility of men and women and programmes should cater to men as FP users. Family planning initiatives should address beliefs, myths and misconceptions surrounding contraceptive services as well as other barriers that refrain active male participation 32 . The family planning programmes should restructure their communication methods and strategies in a manner that includes men as both enablers and beneficiaries, hence making them responsible partners.

It is also important to reach men and adolescent boys as users not just in family planning programmes but also in government policies and guidelines as well as in research to create more male contraceptive options 31 .

Addressing the sexual and reproductive needs of the youth

Youth (15-34 yr) account for 34.8 per cent of the total Indian population, of which an enormous number still do not have access to contraceptives 33 .

According to a 2006-2007 subnational youth survey in India, while most youth had heard of contraception and HIV/AIDS, there was lack of detailed information and awareness 34 . While 95 per cent of youth had heard of at least one modern method of contraception, accurate knowledge of even one non-terminal method was considerably low among young women, with only 49 per cent reporting positive knowledge 34 . Likewise, while 91 per cent of young men and 73 per cent of young women reported having heard about HIV/AIDS, only 45 per cent of young men and 28 per cent of young women had comprehensive awareness of HIV 34 . The recently released findings of the UDAYA study in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by the Population Council revealed low levels of knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health across all adolescents 35 , 36 . In both States, among older adolescents (15-19 yr), slightly less than a quarter of unmarried boys and girls and one in two married girls knew that a girl could become pregnant even when she had sex for the first time 35 , 36 . Correct knowledge of oral and emergency contraceptives was considerably low across all adolescent groups in both States which indicated an urgent need to improve awareness, strengthen service deliveries and evaluate outreach strategies 35 , 36 .

In its 2016 report, the Lancet Commission acknowledged the ‘triple dividend’ of investing in adolescents: ‘for adolescents now, for their future adult lives, and for their children’ 37 . According to an estimate by the Guttmacher Institute, 38 million of the 252 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years in developing countries are sexually active and do not wish to be pregnant over the next two years 38 . These adolescents include a staggering 23 million with an unmet need for modern contraception 38 . It is more important now than ever to make a shift from one-size-fits-all approaches and cater to the needs of married and unmarried adolescents.

Increased investment in family planning

The National Health Policy 2017 talks of increasing public spending to 2.5 per cent of the GDP, which is a welcome sign 39 . However, much higher health allocations are necessary to take forward the nation's family planning agenda in favour of reproductive health and rights. The Government's newly launched Mission Parivar Vikas Programme focuses on improving access to contraceptives and family planning services in 145 high fertility districts in seven States 40 . In addition to higher health allocations, the government needs to ensure efficient and complete utilization of funds already allocated to family planning activities.

India spent 85 per cent of its total expenditure on family planning on female sterilization with 95.7 per cent of this money going towards compensation, 1.45 per cent on spacing methods and 13 per cent on family planning-related activities such as procurement of equipment, transportation, Information Education and Communication (IEC) and staff expenses in 2016-17 41 . According to our analysis of the National Health Mission (NHM) Financial Management Report 41 , the total budget available for family planning activities under the NHM was ₹12220 million in India during 2016-2017. Of the total money for family planning, 64 per cent was directed for providing terminal or limiting methods, nine per cent towards ASHA incentives for FP activities, 5.3 per cent for training, 5.5 per cent for procurement of equipment, 3.7 per cent for spacing methods and 3.6 per cent towards BCC/IEC activities for family planning ( Fig. 2 ) 41 . The total spending was ₹7415 million indicating that only 60.7 per cent of the total money available for family planning activities was spent during 2016-2017. Of the total expenditure for FP activities, 68 per cent was spent on terminal or limiting methods of which compensation for female sterilization constituted 92.7 per cent; 13.3 per cent was incurred for ASHA incentives, 3.7 per cent was incurred for spacing methods of which incentives to providers for post partum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) insertion constituted 73.2 per cent and compensation for intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) insertion at health facilities constituted 14.2 per cent, 2.8 per cent on interpersonal communication (IPC)/BCC activities and two per cent was spent for training ( Fig. 2 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is IJMR-148-1-g002.jpg

Allocation, expenditure and utilization of FP budget 2016-2017. POL, petroleum oil and lubricants; RMNCH, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, health; FP, family planning; bcc, behaviour change communication; IEC, Information, Education and Communication; IUCD, intrauterine contraceptive device. Source : Ref. 41 .

Investing in behaviour change communication (BCC)

The above mentioned numbers suggest that although family planning programmes in India have made significant progress, the budgetary spending and allocation is still skewed towards terminal methods, with inadequate emphasis on training of service providers and investment in BCC/IPC. The issues surrounding family planning and sexual and reproductive health emerge from deep-seated social norms, which cannot be uprooted overnight. It is imperative to strategize effectively to work with communities to influence social norms.

Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) can address sociocultural norms such as sex selection, early marriage, unwanted pregnancies, domestic violence and gender inequality. PFI's transmedia edutainment intervention, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon - I , (A Woman, Can Achieve Anything, MKBKSH) is one such example 42 . PFI's experience with MKBKSH Season 1 and 2 shows that entertainment education (EE) initiatives have tremendous reach and potential to change the knowledge, perception and behaviour among viewers.

In addition to SBCC, interpersonal/spousal communication has the potential to significantly improve family planning use and continuation. In countries with high fertility rates and unmet need, men have often been considered unsupportive partners as far as family planning is considered 32 suggesting lack of adequate spousal communication. SBCC is a key avenue in the existing communication within the family planning programme in a country like India where frontline workers reach populations where other media cannot reach. It is the time to not just increase investments in health and family planning but to fully utilize the currently available budget and rearrange the existing allocations in favour of reversible contraceptive methods and SBCC to challenge and change existing sociocultural norms.

The success of India's family planning programme is shouldered by researchers, policymakers, service providers and users, who will need to do their part to ensure equitable access to quality family planning services. The praxis of family planning is simple and the availability of a basket of contraceptive choices can play a crucial role in stabilizing population growth. An effective and successful family planning programme requires a shared vision among key stakeholders, which include the government, civil society organizations and private providers. These stakeholders should ensure that the sexual and reproductive needs of youth and adolescents in the country are fulfilled. In addition, greater male participation as active partners and responsibility bearers can certainly ensure increased use of contraception. The time to act is now. And this should begin with a concerted effort from everyone to empower women, expand family planning choices and strive for greater gender equality so that every individual can lead a dignified life.

Financial support & sponsorship:

The study was supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Conflicts of Interest:

  • IAS Preparation
  • UPSC Preparation Strategy
  • Indias Family Planning Programme

Family Planning in India: Notes for UPSC

Family planning is an important topic for the IAS exam . This topic is covered under the society and social issues sections of the general studies papers of the UPSC exam. In this article, you can read all about family planning in India, its origin, development, government’s role, methods, impact, current status, etc.

  !!

National Programme for Family Planning

  • India was the first country in the world to launch a national programme for family planning when it did so in 1952.
  • In India, family planning has been chiefly due to the efforts of the government.
  • The programme has undergone a massive transformation from its early days when the focus was in terms of a clinical approach to today when the focus is on reproductive health, and in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates, child mortality and morbidity.
  • The National Population Policy (NPP) launched in 2000 has helped in the reduction of fertility. You can read about the National population Register – NPR on the linked page.
  • As part of the programme, the government established several clinics for reproductive health and family planning.
  • There is also much awareness through various media propagating family planning, the need for spacing between children, and for having a lesser number of children per couple.
  • The government has popularized the slogan, “Hum Do, Humare Do” , for promoting the Two-Child Norm.
  • There are also fines such as not providing government jobs if a person has more than two children, etc. But, these might have backfired in some places leading to more sex-selective abortions, etc.

Check out the following links for assistance in preparation –

  • Female Foeticide – Major Cause for Low Sex Ratio
  • Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1994

Family Planning – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

Family Planning History

  • The National Family Planning Programme was launched in 1952.
  • Lower fertility rates
  • Slow population growth as a means to push economic growth
  • The programme was tied to the Five Year Plans of the government. Read more on Economic Planning in India on the given link.
  • Over the course of the years, the preferred method of birth control shifted from rhythm method to sterilisation and IUDs.
  • In the 1970s, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had executed a forced sterilisation programme which led to people having an aversion to sterilisation.
  • By the year 1996, the family planning programme had successfully averted an estimated 16.8 crore births.
  • However, there is a variance between regions in the country in family planning adoption.

Candidates must check the following links to prepare for the upcoming UPSC Civil Services Exam comprehensively –

Contraceptive services under the Programme

  • Delivery of OCPs at the doorstep by ASHA. Pills are also available free of cost.
  • Free brand ‘Nirodh’ available at government facilities.
  • Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD)
  • Female sterilisation
  • Male sterilisation
  • Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP)

Family Planning Programme Achievements

  • The fertility rate is on a decline. In 1966, it was 5.7 births per woman, while as on 2014 (latest data), it is 2.3 births per woman. This is only 0.2 less than the ideal replacement rate of 2.1.
  • There is more awareness of more modern methods of contraception.
  • There has been an increase in the usage of contraceptives including condoms, which are also essential to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
  • There is increased awareness of female sterilisation techniques, which are safer.
  • Among educated women and high-income groups, the fertility rate is low.
  • The annual exponential growth in the population of the country has been decreasing, from 2.20% in 1971, it was 1.64% in 2011.

For more UPSC-preparation, related materials refer to the links given in the table below. The UPSC Syllabus page will give a general idea about the pattern of the UPSC Exams

Related Links

family planning in india essay

Frequently Asked Question – Family Planning Program in  India

Q.1. when was family planning program launched in india, q.2. what is family planning programme, q.3. which country first started family planning, q 4. what are the best methods of family planning.

Ans. Some of the best methods for family planning are:

  • Contraceptive implant (lasts up to 3 years)
  • Intrauterine system, or IUS (up to 5 years)
  • Intrauterine device, or IUD, also called the coil (up to 5 to 10 years)
  • Female sterilisation (permanent)
  • Male sterilisation or vasectomy (permanent)
IAS General Studies Notes Links

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

family planning in india essay

IAS 2024 - Your dream can come true!

Download the ultimate guide to upsc cse preparation, register with byju's & download free pdfs, register with byju's & watch live videos.

IndiaCelebrating.com

Family Planning in India Essay

According to its definition, family planning determines how many children you will have and how far apart by using contraceptive methods such as birth control. Although this is ideally supposed to be a personal choice, countries with burgeoning populations such as China and India institute family planning policies to control population growth.

Long and Short Essay on Family Planning in India in English

Below are some essays on family planning in India and its role, causes and effects. The family planning essays are of different lengths (word limit) and will help you in your exams/assignments. Choose whichever family planning essay you want depending upon your requirement.

Short Essay on Family Planning in India – Essay 1 (200 Words)

Introduction

India has the world’s second largest population at 1.3 billion people.  It is projected that at the current growth rate, our population will exceed China’s by the year 2028. As per the UN, which made this projection, the growth rate of the population in India is significantly higher than that of China. Indian lawmakers recognized the urgency of the situation very early on and, therefore, the government instituted family planning policies.

History of Family Planning

India has the distinction of being the first country in the developing world to start a family planning program that was state-sponsored. This program was started in 1952 and was called the National Family Planning Program. At first, the program was focused on contraceptive measures such as birth control. However, as time passed, the program encompassed other aspects of family health such as nutrition, family welfare and mother and child health. Eventually, the name of the department was also changed from Family Planning Department to Family Welfare Program to showcase this advancement in policy.

Current Status of Family Planning

Over the decades, both state and central governments have done a lot to implement the program at different levels of society. This includes methods such as spreading awareness through public service announcements and door-to-door campaigns, encouraging the two-child norm through monetary incentives, emphasis on education for boys and girls and focusing a lot of efforts in the rural areas.

These Family Planning measures have certainly been successful, as the decrease in the population growth rate demonstrates. However, factors such as poverty, preference of sons to daughter and traditional thinking are major roadblocks to complete success.

Essay on The Family Planning: Its Need – Essay 2 (250 Words)

As of June 2018, the total population of the world stands at 7.6 billion. Out of this, 3.2 billion people were added by developing countries over the last 50 years. If the current projections continue, 3.1 billion more will be added by these countries. The fact is that the world’s population is growing substantially and this growth is showing few signs of slowing down.

Need for Family Planning

Family planning is needed both at an individual level and at a global level. For a family, being able to plan when and how many children they will have can allow them to have fewer children to whom they can devote more energy, time and resources. It also affects the health of the children; if the children are spaced too close or if there are too many children the mortality rates are higher.

For a country, a burgeoning population puts a lot of pressure on its natural and built resources. Housing an ever increasing population, educating the people, having healthcare in place and providing employment – all of these factors become hugely challenging when the population grows exponentially. Family planning is definitely needed for such countries so that they can control the growth of their populations and have enough resources for everyone. The pressure on the environment also eases when population growth slows down as does the demand for finite natural resources.

Family planning is needed at both an individual and worldwide level. There aren’t enough resources to go around and what resources there are aren’t distributed equally. Therefore, it becomes absolutely essential that everyone be educated about family planning and the benefits it brings.

Essay on Importance of Family Planning – Essay 3 (400 Words)

Right up until the 20 th century, people, especially women, could only rely on luck or prayers when it came to family planning. People who wanted children couldn’t always have them. People who didn’t want too many children or wanted to have children further apart couldn’t do anything to accomplish this. The only reliable method for birth control was abstinence, a method that didn’t appeal to everyone. Now, however, many different family planning methods are available and this availability has made significant changes to people’s lives.

Importance of Family Planning

Family planning affects many different aspects of someone’s life, the two major ones being finances and health. First of all, thanks to family planning methods, couples can decide when they are in a financial position to have children. This becomes important when one considers the cost of healthcare during a pregnancy and then the costs of bringing up the children including food, shelter, clothing and education.

Birth control allows couples to decide when they are ready to bear these costs. Second, planning children properly spaced apart helps women’s health. As per the USAID or the United States Agency for International Development, if a mother has children spaced less than two years apart or more than five years apart, both the mother’s and the child’s health can be impacted.

Family planning isn’t important only for individual families, it is also important for countries and for the world. One of the biggest problems we face today is overpopulation. We have a global population that far exceeds the resources that are available to us. Family planning helps to bring down the growth rate of the population so that the burden on our resources, if not exactly eased, is at least not increased. China’s one-child policy and India’s two-child policy are examples of countries that are overpopulated using family planning methods to control their populations.

While most people often use birth control and family planning synonymously, the fact is that family planning is far more than merely preventing conception. It is the best way for couples to chart their future, for women to control their own bodies and for countries to control population growth. Many may disagree on religious or moral grounds but the fact remains that family planning is an absolute necessity in the 21 st century.

Essay on Impact of Family Planning Methods – Essay 4 (450 Words)

Since the last century, family planning methods have really come into their own. Where once abstinence was the only way to ensure that no pregnancy would occur, the family planning methods these days allow men and women to have healthy sex lives and have children only when they are ready for that commitment.

Impact of Family Planning Methods

However, the overall impact is much more than was initially believed.

Bodily Autonomy

Although sexual intercourse takes place between two consenting partners, it is the woman who gets pregnant if no birth control is used. The impact of this on a woman’s life is incalculable. For a long time, women had no way of ensuring the prevention of pregnancy. However, now that birth control methods are easily and, in many cases, freely available, women have greater autonomy over their bodies. They can decide whether they want children, when they want them and how far apart they want them. They can ensure that they have achieved their personal, professional and financial goals without worrying about unplanned pregnancies.

Health Benefits

Various studies have shown that women who take oral contraceptive pills for five or more years have a lower chance of suffering from ovarian cancer. These pills also reduce the chance of getting ovarian cysts. Birth control pills are also often prescribed to regulate irregular menstrual cycles, reduce the intensity of menstrual cramps and deal with other symptoms.

One of the biggest impacts that family planning methods have had is on maternal mortality rates, especially in developing nations. Birth control has reduced the number of women who die due to unsafe methods of abortions.

Population Control

Although family planning methods are useful for couples to plan out when they want to start a family, they have also had a very discernible effect on a major area of concern globally – population growth. Before birth control methods came along, a woman could have anywhere between 12 to 15 pregnancies over the course of her life – a factor that contributed hugely to overpopulation. With birth control, women can decide when they want children and how many they want, effectively slowing down population growth.

Birth control methods have had a huge impact on various arenas. The availability of birth control has empowered women, allowed families to decide the right time to start or continue their families and helped governments control their populations. There have been outspoken objections to the use of contraceptives, mainly based on religion or morality, but, on the whole, it is quite obvious that family planning methods are shaping and will continue to shape our future whether it is on an individual level or on a global level.

Essay on Family Planning Programme in India – Essay 5 (500 Words)

India has the distinction of being the first country in the developing world to initiate a state supported family planning program. The necessity of such a program is obvious when one looks at the statistics with regards to the Indian population.

Currently, India has the second largest population in the world at 1.3 billion. The national fertility rate is quite high; every 20 days, around one million people are added to its population. The United Nations has projected that by the year 2028, India will have surpassed China in the population stakes. Fortunately, the Indian government recognized the scope of this problem and initiated family planning measures some time ago.

History of Family Planning in India

The first prominent person to recognize the need for population control was Raghunath Dhondo Karve. He published a magazine called Samaj Swasthya between 1927 and 1953, in which he argued that society would best be served by controlling the population through the use of contraceptive measures. Karve urged the Indian government to take steps to institute population control programmes, an endeavour that was opposed by Mahatma Gandhi on the grounds that people should exercise self-control rather than turn to birth control.

By 1951, it had become obvious to the Indian government that family planning was becoming increasingly urgent in the face of the burgeoning population. That is when the government decided create a family planning program that would be state-sponsored. Five year plans were put into place; these plans were focused on economic growth and restructuring. However, in 1971, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi put into place a policy of forced sterilization.

Ideally, men who had two or more children were supposed to be sterilized, but the program ended up sterilizing many men who were unmarried or those who politically opposed the regime. By the time a new government came into power, the damage was done; many people viewed family planning with aversion. Therefore, the government decided to shift its focus to birth control measures for women.

Family Planning in Recent Years

The measures put into place have not been entirely unsuccessful. In fact, between 1965 and 2009, the use of contraceptives increased to 48 percent from 13 percent among women. The fertility rate has also gone down 2.4 from 5.7 during the years between 1966 and 2012. States have also adopted two-child policies in which they can prohibit people with more than two children from applying for government jobs.

However, India still has a long way to go. While most women are aware of birth control measures, they cite difficulty in accessing these measures. The traditional mindset of most Indians when it comes to children doesn’t help either. Also, while the fertility rate has gone down, it isn’t enough to control the population explosion. India needs to do much more to ensure that population growth is brought under control.

Essay on Family Planning Methods – Essay 6 (900 Words)

In its most basic form, family planning means planning out how many children you will have, when you’ll have them and how far apart they will be spaced. Families can take various factors into account when deciding upon family planning such as their finances, their health and their preferences.

Many different methods are available to them for this purpose. While the only fool-proof method is abstinence, there are many other methods of birth control, which, while not 100 percent effective, are highly successful if used regularly and properly.

Types of Birth Control Methods

There are quite a few methods of birth control available to men and women. They can select the method they want to use based on habits, health issues and personal preferences.

Birth control methods are divided into three broad categories.

  • Condoms – A thin sheath made out of polyurethane or latex is known as a condom. Condoms are available for both males and females. The condom for males is supposed to go over the erect penis, while the one for females is positioned inside the vagina before sexual intercourse. The condom must be worn every time sexual intercourse occurs. Condoms are easily available at most chemists and don’t require a prescription beforehand.
  • Cervical Cap and Diaphragm – Both methods are meant to be used by women. The diaphragm is a rubber cup that is flexible. It is filled with cream or jelly that is spermicidal. It needs to be inserted into the vagina before intercourse, till it rests over the cervix. It prevents sperm from penetrating the cervix and the spermicidal jelly or cream disables or kills the sperm. However, since all women are different, a health worker or gynecologist must prescribe the diaphragm depending upon the size and type a particular woman needs. The cervical cap is a similar device but smaller. Both should be removed only six to eight hours after intercourse. These two methods aren’t foolproof – there is a five to twenty percent chance that a woman who uses either of these still gets pregnant. Additional risks include allergic reactions, urinary tract infections and occasionally toxic shock syndrome if left in too long.
  • Vaginal Sponge – These are soft sponges containing a spermicidal chemical and should be moistened and inserted into a woman’s vagina before intercourse. A prescription isn’t required to purchase vaginal sponges, which are available at a local pharmacy or chemist.
  • Birth Control Pills – One of the most common methods of birth control, these pills can contain only progestin or a combination of oestrogen and progestin.
  • Implants – As the name suggests, these are small rods which are inserted under the skin and release continuous doses of hormones to stop ovulation.
  • Injections – These are birth control shots that normally contain progestin and are injected into the buttocks or the upper arm once every three months.
  • Skin Patch – This is a patch that contains hormones and can be placed on certain parts of the body such as the shoulder. Once placed it keeps up a continuous stream of hormones in the body.
  • Morning After Contraception – This is also known as the morning after pill and should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. No prescription is required and it is easily available at a chemist.
  • IUD or Intrauterine Device – A very reliable and long-term method of contraception, the IUD is a copper or plastic device that is inserted into the vagina by a healthcare professional. It can be left in place anywhere between five to ten years and there is only one percent chance that a woman on IUD will get pregnant. Some IUDs have small amounts of the hormone progestin which is released into the body.
  • Permanent Methods – These methods are best used by women and men who have decided not to have children at all or not to have any more children. Vasectomies and tubal ligations come under this category. Occasionally, people who have undergone one of these procedures may want them reversed and it can be done. However, the chances of successfully conceiving afterwards are not very high.

Birth control allows men and women to have autonomy over their bodies and decide when and how they want to start or continue families. For more information, people should visit their local health workers or medical practitioners. It is very necessary that men and women research the different options available and then make a decision as some of these methods can cause health issues while others are fairly permanent and cannot be reversed if they change their minds.

Related Information:

My Family Essay

Essay on Importance of Family

Essay on I Love My Family

Essay on Population

Essay on Population Growth

Essay on Overpopulation in World

Speech on Family Planning

Related Posts

Money essay, music essay, importance of education essay, education essay, newspaper essay, my hobby essay.

InfinityLearn logo

Essay on Family Planning in India in English for Children and Students

iit-jee, neet, foundation

Table of Contents

According to its definition, family planning determines how many children you will have and how far apart by using contraceptive methods such as birth control. Although this is ideally supposed to be a personal choice, countries with burgeoning populations such as China and India institute family planning policies to control population growth.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Long and Short Essay on Family Planning in India in English

Below are some essays on family planning in India and its role, causes and effects. The family planning essays are of different lengths (word limit) and will help you in your exams/assignments. Choose whichever family planning essay you want depending upon your requirement.

Short Essay on Family Planning in India – Essay 1 (200 Words)

Introduction

India has the world’s second largest population at 1.3 billion people. It is projected that at the current growth rate, our population will exceed China’s by the year 2028. As per the UN, which made this projection, the growth rate of the population in India is significantly higher than that of China. Indian lawmakers recognized the urgency of the situation very early on and, therefore, the government instituted family planning policies.

History of Family Planning

India has the distinction of being the first country in the developing world to start a family planning program that was state-sponsored. This program was started in 1952 and was called the National Family Planning Program. At first, the program was focused on contraceptive measures such as birth control. However, as time passed, the program encompassed other aspects of family health such as nutrition, family welfare and mother and child health. Eventually, the name of the department was also changed from Family Planning Department to Family Welfare Program to showcase this advancement in policy.

Current Status of Family Planning

Over the decades, both state and central governments have done a lot to implement the program at different levels of society. This includes methods such as spreading awareness through public service announcements and door-to-door campaigns, encouraging the two-child norm through monetary incentives, emphasis on education for boys and girls and focusing a lot of efforts in the rural areas.

These Family Planning measures have certainly been successful, as the decrease in the population growth rate demonstrates. However, factors such as poverty, preference of sons to daughter and traditional thinking are major roadblocks to complete success.

Take free test

Essay on The Family Planning: Its Need – Essay 2 (250 Words)

As of June 2018, the total population of the world stands at 7.6 billion. Out of this, 3.2 billion people were added by developing countries over the last 50 years. If the current projections continue, 3.1 billion more will be added by these countries. The fact is that the world’s population is growing substantially and this growth is showing few signs of slowing down.

Need for Family Planning

Family planning is needed both at an individual level and at a global level. For a family, being able to plan when and how many children they will have can allow them to have fewer children to whom they can devote more energy, time and resources. It also affects the health of the children; if the children are spaced too close or if there are too many children the mortality rates are higher.

For a country, a burgeoning population puts a lot of pressure on its natural and built resources. Housing an ever increasing population, educating the people, having healthcare in place and providing employment – all of these factors become hugely challenging when the population grows exponentially. Family planning is definitely needed for such countries so that they can control the growth of their populations and have enough resources for everyone. The pressure on the environment also eases when population growth slows down as does the demand for finite natural resources.

Family planning is needed at both an individual and worldwide level. There aren’t enough resources to go around and what resources there are aren’t distributed equally. Therefore, it becomes absolutely essential that everyone be educated about family planning and the benefits it brings.

Essay on Importance of Family Planning – Essay 3 (400 Words)

Right up until the 20 th century, people, especially women, could only rely on luck or prayers when it came to family planning. People who wanted children couldn’t always have them. People who didn’t want too many children or wanted to have children further apart couldn’t do anything to accomplish this. The only reliable method for birth control was abstinence, a method that didn’t appeal to everyone. Now, however, many different family planning methods are available and this availability has made significant changes to people’s lives.

Importance of Family Planning

Family planning affects many different aspects of someone’s life, the two major ones being finances and health. First of all, thanks to family planning methods, couples can decide when they are in a financial position to have children. This becomes important when one considers the cost of healthcare during a pregnancy and then the costs of bringing up the children including food, shelter, clothing and education.

Birth control allows couples to decide when they are ready to bear these costs. Second, planning children properly spaced apart helps women’s health. As per the USAID or the United States Agency for International Development, if a mother has children spaced less than two years apart or more than five years apart, both the mother’s and the child’s health can be impacted.

Family planning isn’t important only for individual families, it is also important for countries and for the world. One of the biggest problems we face today is overpopulation. We have a global population that far exceeds the resources that are available to us. Family planning helps to bring down the growth rate of the population so that the burden on our resources, if not exactly eased, is at least not increased. China’s one-child policy and India’s two-child policy are examples of countries that are overpopulated using family planning methods to control their populations.

While most people often use birth control and family planning synonymously, the fact is that family planning is far more than merely preventing conception. It is the best way for couples to chart their future, for women to control their own bodies and for countries to control population growth. Many may disagree on religious or moral grounds but the fact remains that family planning is an absolute necessity in the 21 st century.

Essay on Impact of Family Planning Methods – Essay 4 (450 Words)

Since the last century, family planning methods have really come into their own. Where once abstinence was the only way to ensure that no pregnancy would occur, the family planning methods these days allow men and women to have healthy sex lives and have children only when they are ready for that commitment.

Impact of Family Planning Methods

However, the overall impact is much more than was initially believed.

Bodily Autonomy

Although sexual intercourse takes place between two consenting partners, it is the woman who gets pregnant if no birth control is used. The impact of this on a woman’s life is incalculable. For a long time, women had no way of ensuring the prevention of pregnancy. However, now that birth control methods are easily and, in many cases, freely available, women have greater autonomy over their bodies. They can decide whether they want children, when they want them and how far apart they want them. They can ensure that they have achieved their personal, professional and financial goals without worrying about unplanned pregnancies.

Health Benefits

Various studies have shown that women who take oral contraceptive pills for five or more years have a lower chance of suffering from ovarian cancer. These pills also reduce the chance of getting ovarian cysts. Birth control pills are also often prescribed to regulate irregular menstrual cycles, reduce the intensity of menstrual cramps and deal with other symptoms.

One of the biggest impacts that family planning methods have had is on maternal mortality rates, especially in developing nations. Birth control has reduced the number of women who die due to unsafe methods of abortions.

Population Control

Although family planning methods are useful for couples to plan out when they want to start a family, they have also had a very discernible effect on a major area of concern globally – population growth. Before birth control methods came along, a woman could have anywhere between 12 to 15 pregnancies over the course of her life – a factor that contributed hugely to overpopulation. With birth control, women can decide when they want children and how many they want, effectively slowing down population growth.

Birth control methods have had a huge impact on various arenas. The availability of birth control has empowered women, allowed families to decide the right time to start or continue their families and helped governments control their populations. There have been outspoken objections to the use of contraceptives, mainly based on religion or morality, but, on the whole, it is quite obvious that family planning methods are shaping and will continue to shape our future whether it is on an individual level or on a global level.

Take free test

Essay on Family Planning Programme in India – Essay 5 (500 Words)

India has the distinction of being the first country in the developing world to initiate a state supported family planning program. The necessity of such a program is obvious when one looks at the statistics with regards to the Indian population.

Currently, India has the second largest population in the world at 1.3 billion. The national fertility rate is quite high; every 20 days, around one million people are added to its population. The United Nations has projected that by the year 2028, India will have surpassed China in the population stakes. Fortunately, the Indian government recognized the scope of this problem and initiated family planning measures some time ago.

History of Family Planning in India

The first prominent person to recognize the need for population control was Raghunath Dhondo Karve. He published a magazine called Samaj Swasthya between 1927 and 1953, in which he argued that society would best be served by controlling the population through the use of contraceptive measures. Karve urged the Indian government to take steps to institute population control programmes, an endeavour that was opposed by Mahatma Gandhi on the grounds that people should exercise self-control rather than turn to birth control.

By 1951, it had become obvious to the Indian government that family planning was becoming increasingly urgent in the face of the burgeoning population. That is when the government decided create a family planning program that would be state-sponsored. Five year plans were put into place; these plans were focused on economic growth and restructuring. However, in 1971, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi put into place a policy of forced sterilization.

Ideally, men who had two or more children were supposed to be sterilized, but the program ended up sterilizing many men who were unmarried or those who politically opposed the regime. By the time a new government came into power, the damage was done; many people viewed family planning with aversion. Therefore, the government decided to shift its focus to birth control measures for women.

Family Planning in Recent Years

The measures put into place have not been entirely unsuccessful. In fact, between 1965 and 2009, the use of contraceptives increased to 48 percent from 13 percent among women. The fertility rate has also gone down 2.4 from 5.7 during the years between 1966 and 2012. States have also adopted two-child policies in which they can prohibit people with more than two children from applying for government jobs.

However, India still has a long way to go. While most women are aware of birth control measures, they cite difficulty in accessing these measures. The traditional mindset of most Indians when it comes to children doesn’t help either. Also, while the fertility rate has gone down, it isn’t enough to control the population explosion. India needs to do much more to ensure that population growth is brought under control.

Essay on Family Planning Methods – Essay 6 (900 Words)

In its most basic form, family planning means planning out how many children you will have, when you’ll have them and how far apart they will be spaced. Families can take various factors into account when deciding upon family planning such as their finances, their health and their preferences.

Many different methods are available to them for this purpose. While the only fool-proof method is abstinence, there are many other methods of birth control, which, while not 100 percent effective, are highly successful if used regularly and properly.

Types of Birth Control Methods

There are quite a few methods of birth control available to men and women. They can select the method they want to use based on habits, health issues and personal preferences.

Birth control methods are divided into three broad categories.

  • Condoms – A thin sheath made out of polyurethane or latex is known as a condom. Condoms are available for both males and females. The condom for males is supposed to go over the erect penis, while the one for females is positioned inside the vagina before sexual intercourse. The condom must be worn every time sexual intercourse occurs. Condoms are easily available at most chemists and don’t require a prescription beforehand.
  • Cervical Cap and Diaphragm – Both methods are meant to be used by women. The diaphragm is a rubber cup that is flexible. It is filled with cream or jelly that is spermicidal. It needs to be inserted into the vagina before intercourse, till it rests over the cervix. It prevents sperm from penetrating the cervix and the spermicidal jelly or cream disables or kills the sperm. However, since all women are different, a health worker or gynecologist must prescribe the diaphragm depending upon the size and type a particular woman needs. The cervical cap is a similar device but smaller. Both should be removed only six to eight hours after intercourse. These two methods aren’t foolproof – there is a five to twenty percent chance that a woman who uses either of these still gets pregnant. Additional risks include allergic reactions, urinary tract infections and occasionally toxic shock syndrome if left in too long.
  • Vaginal Sponge – These are soft sponges containing a spermicidal chemical and should be moistened and inserted into a woman’s vagina before intercourse. A prescription isn’t required to purchase vaginal sponges, which are available at a local pharmacy or chemist.
  • Birth Control Pills – One of the most common methods of birth control, these pills can contain only progestin or a combination of oestrogen and progestin.
  • Implants – As the name suggests, these are small rods which are inserted under the skin and release continuous doses of hormones to stop ovulation.
  • Injections – These are birth control shots that normally contain progestin and are injected into the buttocks or the upper arm once every three months.
  • Skin Patch – This is a patch that contains hormones and can be placed on certain parts of the body such as the shoulder. Once placed it keeps up a continuous stream of hormones in the body.
  • Morning After Contraception – This is also known as the morning after pill and should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. No prescription is required and it is easily available at a chemist.
  • IUD or Intrauterine Device – A very reliable and long-term method of contraception, the IUD is a copper or plastic device that is inserted into the vagina by a healthcare professional. It can be left in place anywhere between five to ten years and there is only one percent chance that a woman on IUD will get pregnant. Some IUDs have small amounts of the hormone progestin which is released into the body.
  • Permanent Methods – These methods are best used by women and men who have decided not to have children at all or not to have any more children. Vasectomies and tubal ligations come under this category. Occasionally, people who have undergone one of these procedures may want them reversed and it can be done. However, the chances of successfully conceiving afterwards are not very high.

Birth control allows men and women to have autonomy over their bodies and decide when and how they want to start or continue families. For more information, people should visit their local health workers or medical practitioners. It is very necessary that men and women research the different options available and then make a decision as some of these methods can cause health issues while others are fairly permanent and cannot be reversed if they change their minds.

Related Information:

My Family Essay

Essay on Importance of Family

Essay on I Love My Family

Essay on Population

Essay on Population Growth

Essay on Overpopulation in World

Speech on Family Planning

Related content

Call Infinity Learn

Talk to our academic expert!

Language --- English Hindi Marathi Tamil Telugu Malayalam

Get access to free Mock Test and Master Class

Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material

Offer Ends in 5:00

Please select class

Fact sheets

  • Facts in pictures
  • Publications
  • Questions and answers
  • Tools and toolkits
  • Endometriosis
  • Excessive heat
  • Mental disorders
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • All countries
  • Eastern Mediterranean
  • South-East Asia
  • Western Pacific
  • Data by country
  • Country presence 
  • Country strengthening 
  • Country cooperation strategies 
  • News releases
  • Feature stories
  • Press conferences
  • Commentaries
  • Photo library
  • Afghanistan
  • Cholera 
  • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
  • Greater Horn of Africa
  • Israel and occupied Palestinian territory
  • Disease Outbreak News
  • Situation reports
  • Weekly Epidemiological Record
  • Surveillance
  • Health emergency appeal
  • International Health Regulations
  • Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee
  • Classifications
  • Data collections
  • Global Health Estimates
  • Mortality Database
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • Health Inequality Monitor
  • Global Progress
  • Data collection tools
  • Global Health Observatory
  • Insights and visualizations
  • COVID excess deaths
  • World Health Statistics
  • Partnerships
  • Committees and advisory groups
  • Collaborating centres
  • Technical teams
  • Organizational structure
  • Initiatives
  • General Programme of Work
  • WHO Academy
  • Investment in WHO
  • WHO Foundation
  • External audit
  • Financial statements
  • Internal audit and investigations 
  • Programme Budget
  • Results reports
  • Governing bodies
  • World Health Assembly
  • Executive Board
  • Member States Portal
  • Fact sheets /

Family planning/contraception methods

  • Among the 1.9 billion women of reproductive age group (15–49 years) worldwide in 2021, 1.1 billion have a need for family planning; of these, 874 million are using modern contraceptive methods, and 164 million have an unmet need for contraception (1) .
  • The proportion of the need for family planning satisfied by modern methods, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator 3.7.1, has stagnated globally at around 77% from 2015 to 2022 but increased from 52% to 58% in sub-Saharan Africa (2) .
  • Only one contraceptive method, condoms, can prevent both a pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
  • Use of contraception advances the human right of people to determine the number and spacing of their children.
  • In 2022, global contraceptive prevalence of any method was estimated at 65% and of modern methods at 58.7% for married or in a union women (3) .

There are many different types of contraception, but not all types are appropriate for all situations. The most appropriate method of birth control depends on an individual’s overall health, age, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, desire to have children in the future, and family history of certain diseases. Ensuring access for all people to their preferred contraceptive methods advances several human rights including the right to life and liberty, freedom of opinion, expression and choice and the right to work and education, as well as bringing significant health and other benefits.

Use of contraception prevents pregnancy-related health risks for women, especially for adolescent girls, and when expressed in terms of interbirth intervals, children born within 2 years of an elder sibling have a 60% increased risk of infant death, and those born within 2–3 years a 10% increased risk, compared with those born after an interval of 3 years or longer (4) . It offers a range of potential non-health benefits that encompass expanded education opportunities and empowerment for women, and sustainable population growth and economic development for countries.

The number of women desiring to use family planning has increased markedly over the past two decades, from 900 million in 2000 to nearly 1.1 billion in 2021 (1) .

Between 2000 and 2020, the number of women using a modern contraceptive method increased from 663 million to 851 million. An additional 70 million women are projected to be added by 2030. Between 2000 and 2020, the contraceptive prevalence rate (percentage of women aged 15–49 who use any contraceptive method) increased from 47.7 to 49.0% (5) .

The proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15–49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods (SDG indicator 3.7.1) is 77.5% globally in 2022, a 10% increase since 1990 (67%) (2) .

The proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15–49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods (SDG indicator 3.7.1) is 77.5% globally in 2022, an increase of 10 percentage points since 1990 (67%) (2) . Reasons for this slow increase include limited choice of methods; limited access to services, particularly among young, poorer and unmarried people; fear or experience of side-effects; cultural or religious opposition; poor quality of available services; users’ and providers’ bias against some methods; and gender-based barriers to accessing services. As these barriers are addressed in some regions there have been increases in demand satisfied with modern methods of contraception.

Contraceptive methods

Methods of contraception include oral contraceptive pills, implants, injectables, patches, vaginal rings, intra uterine devices, condoms, male and female sterilization, lactational amenorrhea methods, withdrawal and fertility awareness-based methods. These methods have different mechanisms of action and effectiveness in preventing unintended pregnancy. Effectiveness of methods is measured by the number of pregnancies per 100 women using the method per year. Methods are classified by their effectiveness as commonly used into:

  • very effective (0–0.9 pregnancies per 100 women)
  • effective (1–9 pregnancies per 100 women)
  • moderately effective (10–19 pregnancies per 100 women)
  • less effective (20 or more pregnancies per 100 women).

For details on the mechanism of action and effectiveness of different contraceptive methods, click here .

WHO response

Achieving universal access and the realization of sexual and reproductive health services will be essential to fulfil the pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that “no one will be left behind”. It will require intensified support for contraceptive services, including through the implementation of effective government policies and programmes.

WHO is working to promote contraception by producing evidence-based guidelines on safety and service delivery of contraceptive methods and on ensuring human rights in contraceptive programmes. WHO assists countries to adapt and implement these tools to strengthen contraceptive policies and programmes. Additionally, WHO participates in developing new contraceptive technologies to and leads and conducts implementation research for expanding access to and strengthening delivery contraceptive information and services .

1.  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Family Planning 2022: Meeting the changing needs for family planning: Contraceptive use by age and method. UN DESA/POP/2022/TR/NO. 4 ( https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/documents/2023/Feb/undesa_pd_2022_world-family-planning.pdf ).

2.  United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2022.

3.  United Nations Population Division: www.population.un.org/dataportal/home ( https://population.un.org/dataportal/home . Accessed May 17, 2023).

4.  Cleland J, Conde-Agudelo A, Peterson H, Ross J, Tsui A. Contraception and health. Lancet. 2012;380(9837):149-156. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60609-6

5.  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2020). World Family Planning 2020 Highlights: Accelerating action to ensure universal access to family planning (ST/ESA/SER.A/450).

  • Contraception
  • Mechanism of action and effectiveness of different contraceptive methods
  • ☀ NCERT Books
  • ☀ AP SCERT Books
  • ☀ GSEB Books
  • ☀ TS SCERT Books
  • ☀ Board Syllabus
  • ☀ Board Time Tables
  • ☀ Board Hall Tickets
  • ☀ Board Results
  • Board Result
  • Board Time Table
  • Board Hall Ticket
  • Board Syllabus
  • Social issues

Essay on Family Planning in India for Students and Children | PDF Download

Essay on Family Planning in India for Students and Children | PDF Download

In the present world, India is the second populated country in the world and moving towards the first populated country in the coming years. As the country has a high birth rate and the population is high the government of India had bought the schemes to control the birth rate and population of the country . In these schemes, Family Planning is one of the branches of controlling the population. Similarly, the below essay on Family Planning in India will provide you with many unknown points. The Family Planning Programme in India Essay will be helpful for the students at exams, competitions, aspirants like UPSC & SSC and useful for general awareness also.

Short Essay on Family Planning in India

Family Planning is the program brought out by the government of India for the welfare of the Indian people . In 1951, after seeing the scenarios the government of India started this program as the urgent need to control the population . As the growth and population increase rapidly , to control the growth the birth rate should get to control as a foremost thing. In the past few years in India for every 20 days, the population was hiked up to 10 lakhs . With this increase in the hike, the government took the hard decision to control the birth rate . Family planning is nothing to have only one child in a family. With this family planning , there are some issues for the country also like the imbalance of sex ratios of the country.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Indian Government will look after the people and control the population growth of the country. This ministry is responsible for the family planning program to implement and look after the issues with it around the country. As India has a low literacy rate the people will not aware of the conditions in the country easily. The government of India had started the Family planning campaign , Family planning advertisements , Family Planning posters in public places had bought out to aware people in rural areas also. The government encourages people to take the Family Planning Operations after the birth of one or two children. The economy of the country will also be in trouble if the birth rate is high and it will be a challenge for the government in the future.

Long Essay on Family Planning Programme in India

Family planning is the program started by the Indian government to control the rate of growth of the population in the country. In past years the rate of population is increasing rapidly which makes the burden on the government to look after the needs and employment to those people. Through this program, the government had decided to decrease the birth rate of the child. This program is a long-time goal for the people and government to stabilize the rate of growth in the country. India is a country that contains nearly 1.7 million people in a limited area. The government of India cannot be able to stop the rate instantly so to overcome those this program has started the society.

In previous years, India has had a growth of 10 lakh people in 20 days due to the high rate of birth. This rapid growth of population is not suitable for the economy as well as for the environment of the country. As growth increases the needs of people and deforestation increase. However, India has second place in the population of the countries. The other drawbacks with a high population are huge poor people, unemployment occurs , basic needs are needed, and mainly the economic imbalance.

China stands first in the population of the world, by this the china government had bought out the rules like every family should have only one child . If the family needs more than one child then they need to pay the money and must follow some rules set by the government. On the other hand, the land area of China is higher than the Land area of India . So as they have a high population they are not living densely in the country. The rule which was bought out by the country was extracting the good result in the present years as it takes a long time to show its results.

In India, the Family Planning Program is started in 1951 itself but the results of this are not up to the mark in the countries growth . This program was started but it was not going into society and people about its uses and needs for reducing population . The Health and Family Welfare Ministry of the Indian Government will look after the ways and apply to people. For this family planning either the men or women have to undergo a small operation which will not allow producing the baby in the mother’s womb . The married women of India had gone through this operation at a major rate, they reported that they faced health issues after the operation.

Finally, the conclusion of the Essay on Family Planning Program is to apply for the people in the society strictly and should attach some hard punishment for violation. As the country has a low literacy rate t he people cannot understand the benefits easily. The government should come forward to educate the people mainly the rural areas and explain the benefits of the program. Some of the ways like Family Planning advertisements , Family planning campaigns , Family Planning posters in the public areas and hospitals. Every person should understand that this program will not help for their present time but shows an output for their next generations to live peacefully and with scarcity.

Quotes on Family Planning Program in India

  • We believe in funding family planning because it helps to prevent unintended pregnancy. We believe that a woman considering an abortion should not be forced to have an ultrasound against her will.
  • Family planning, birth control, no Muslim family can practice such an understanding.
  • Family planning is a matter of personal choice, which might differ according to economic and social conditions.
  • Family planning is a cakewalk but accomplishing a family is a moonwalk
  • Like religion, politics, and family planning, cereal is not a topic to be brought up in public. It’s too controversial
  • Once that living love is destroyed by contraception, abortion follows very easily.
  • Family planning is a human right
  • A girl child who is even a little bit educated is more conscious of family planning, health care, and in turn, her children’s education.
  • Family planning experts are now recommending giving men vasectomy gift cards for the holidays. Talk about taking the jingle out of the bells
  • The writing system software is like planning a family. If you make a mistake you have to live with it for 20 years.

Family Planning in India: Images

Family Planning Paper Cutting Image

Conclusion: We hope that the above essay on Family Planning Program in India had included all the key points and some unique facts which help you at the needed times. The above essay on Family Planning Program will be helpful for the people and also help to awareness in people.

Dear Students and Children, you can download the  Brain Drain Essay in the Hand Written Format by Clicking the Below Click Here Link.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

family planning in india essay

Read The Diplomat , Know The Asia-Pacific

  • Central Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Environment
  • Asia Defense
  • China Power
  • Crossroads Asia
  • Flashpoints
  • Pacific Money
  • Tokyo Report
  • Trans-Pacific View

Photo Essays

  • Write for Us
  • Subscriptions

India’s Family Planning: Moving the Needle from ‘Control’ to ‘Choice’

Recent features.

New Caledonia: Two Dreams, One Political Future

New Caledonia: Two Dreams, One Political Future

Will the CSTO, Russia’s Answer to NATO, Expand?

Will the CSTO, Russia’s Answer to NATO, Expand?

The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula

The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula

As Protests Erupt, a Rocky Start to Sheikh Hasina’s Fourth Consecutive Term

As Protests Erupt, a Rocky Start to Sheikh Hasina’s Fourth Consecutive Term

The Ulu Tiram Attack: Inspiration for Terror in Malaysia

The Ulu Tiram Attack: Inspiration for Terror in Malaysia

Has Bangladesh Lost Its Footing in the China-India Balancing Act?

Has Bangladesh Lost Its Footing in the China-India Balancing Act?

How Is China’s Global Education Strategy Evolving?

How Is China’s Global Education Strategy Evolving?

With or Without Opening? Previewing China’s Third Plenum Reforms

With or Without Opening? Previewing China’s Third Plenum Reforms

Pakistan’s New Military Operation Alarms Pashtuns

Pakistan’s New Military Operation Alarms Pashtuns

Bangladeshi University Students Protest Quota System Reforms

Bangladeshi University Students Protest Quota System Reforms

What’s in Hong Kong’s Proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill?

What’s in Hong Kong’s Proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill?

Why the Panchen Lama Matters

Why the Panchen Lama Matters

The pulse  |  society  |  south asia.

India’s family planning program focuses on birth limitation rather than planning, is skewed toward female sterilization, and excludes youth from the conversation.

India’s Family Planning: Moving the Needle from ‘Control’ to ‘Choice’

A cyclist rides under a family planning poster, in India on November 7, 1969. The campaign to reduce the population explosion has shown signs of losing momentum.

India, which has the oldest family planning program in the world, is a key stakeholder in various global commitments on the matter. However, it has not always been successful in moving the needle from family planning to contraception.

With changing times, technology, and needs, family planning should be viewed in the larger context of choice as well as sexual and reproductive rights. However, at present the focus is on birth limitation rather than planning, which completely excludes youth and young people from the conversation on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

The needs for modern methods of contraception of 13 percent of the population are unmet, whereas the basket available in public health is limited and current contraceptive practices are heavily skewed toward female sterilization. When it comes to Long Acting Reversible methods of Contraception (LARC), the only LARC available in the public health sector are Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCDs), which have not seen much use in spite of being available for many decades.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-V phase-1 data of 22 states/union territories shows that out of the 61.3 percent of women currently using Family Planning Methods, only 50.9 percent reported use of modern methods. Female sterilization accounts for 30.1 percent and merely 3.6 percent of women in the reproductive age group prefer IUCDs.

In recent years, the private sector has introduced new contraceptives such as hormonal IUCDs and injectable DMPA. However, the lack of investments by private marketers to create a demand for these options, the lack of access to them, and affordability at which they are offered are some of the issues affecting the popularity of LARCs. Less than 1 percent of women have used injectable contraception for family planning as per NFHS-V phase-1 data. On the one hand, their high costs have restricted their reach to Tier-I towns only and on the other, contraceptive implants are not available in the public sector to date.

The private sector plays an important role in improving access to contraceptives and family planning services. Mission driven organizations, social marketing organizations, and NGOs have been able to reach the marginalized population with crucial sexual and reproductive health services and contraceptive options. Data from NFHS-IV shows that the private sector accounts for 24 percent contraceptive provision in India.

In the case of implants, data from various medical and global research studies suggest that they are an extremely safe and effective method and have been well received in many countries. Approved for use in the private sector in India, priced at $42, implants were launched in the top five cities, with the cost to clients ranging between $50 and $200. Due to price constraints the product becomes inaccessible to rural and marginalized women.

India’s contraceptive needs require a shift towards inclusion and choice. To meet the rising demand for modern methods, it is critical that future programmatic efforts provide methods that are both accessible and acceptable to users. Introducing implants in the public sector would improve choice as well as uptake of modern methods of contraceptives.

National surveys of several sub-Saharan African countries have revealed increased implant use as the main driver of improvement in modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR), with gains in implant use alone exceeding combined gains in use of injectables, pills, and IUCDs.

In a study conducted in India to determine acceptability, efficacy, safety, and return of fertility with Implanon, a subdermal single-rod contraceptive implant, it was found that Implanon was an extremely safe, effective, well-accepted method of contraception. The study also highlighted the advantages of this contraceptive method, including independence from user-compliance, prompt return of fertility after removal, and suitability for a wide range of women.

Implants make family planning possible throughout reproductive life; it can be used to postpone a first pregnancy, to space out pregnancies, or to provide reversible, long-term contraception when the desired family size is reached. Since implants do not contain the hormone estrogen, they can also be used by women who do not want to or cannot use combined oral contraceptives. Moreover, implants are found to be 99 percent effective in terms of cost and use in comparison to other contraceptives.

India’s CPR is highly dominated by sterilizations, while the unmet needs for contraception are more for the conventional reversible methods than that of terminal methods. Introducing implants in the public sector would not only improve choice and avoid discrimination but it can transform the health and lives of women. Hence, there is a need to include implants in public sector quickly to improve choice and avoid discrimination.

When Exactly Will India Surpass China as Most Populous?

When Exactly Will India Surpass China as Most Populous?

By mike schneider and sibi arasu.

The Gendered Impact of Uttar Pradesh’s Population Control Bill

The Gendered Impact of Uttar Pradesh’s Population Control Bill

By bansari kamdar.

What Draws People to India’s Fake ‘Godmen’?

What Draws People to India’s Fake ‘Godmen’?

By kavita chowdhury.

How Did a Religious Gathering in India Turn Into a Deadly Stampede?

How Did a Religious Gathering in India Turn Into a Deadly Stampede?

By biswajeet banerjee and krutika pathi.

After Modi’s Moscow Trip, Where Do India-Russia Relations Stand?

After Modi’s Moscow Trip, Where Do India-Russia Relations Stand?

By danish yousuf and namita barthwal.

China’s Third Plenum Embraces a ‘New Development Philosophy’

China’s Third Plenum Embraces a ‘New Development Philosophy’

By shannon tiezzi.

As Protests Erupt, a Rocky Start to Sheikh Hasina’s Fourth Consecutive Term

By Saqlain Rizve

Pakistan’s New Military Operation Alarms Pashtuns

By Osama Ahmad

New Caledonia: Two Dreams, One Political Future

By Catherine Wilson

Will the CSTO, Russia’s Answer to NATO, Expand?

By Janko Šćepanović

The 2 Koreas’ Cold War Measures Destabilize the Korean Peninsula

By Mitch Shin

Essay on Family Planning Programme in India

family planning in india essay

In this essay we will discuss about Family Planning Programme in India. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Meaning of Family Planning Programme 2. Impact of Family Planning Programme on the Population Growth of India 3. Importance 4. Obstacles 5. Suggestions.

  • Essay on the Suggestions for the Family Planning Programme

1. Essay on the Meaning of Family Planning Programme:

Since the inception of planning, the family planning programme has been introduced in India so as to control the rapid growth of population by resorting to family planning methods. The family planning programme which is an integral part of our national population policy covers schemes of education, health, child care, birth control, family welfare, women’s’ right and nutrition.

The term family planning here indicates conscious limitation of the size of the family to the optimum level by adopting voluntary approach. The small size of family necessarily paves the way for the improvement of its standard of living. Therefore, by the term family planning we mean, “to have children by choice and not by chance, by design and not by accident.”

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Therefore, the main thrust of the family planning programme is the conscious acceptance of small family norm and proper spacing of the children. In recent times, the Government has renamed the scheme as Family Welfare Programme.

In keeping with the democratic traditions of the country, the family welfare programme seeks to promote the small family norm and reproduction and child health through free and voluntary choice.

2. Essay on the Impact of Family Planning Programme on the Population Growth of India:

Family welfare programme includes conscious family limitation, where babies will born by choice not by chance and maintenance of family welfare at an optimum level by providing sound health and sanitation facilities.

Family welfare programme is geared up throughout the country along with other development programme so as to contain the rate of growth of population along with maintaining minimum health and sanitation facilities.

Broadly speaking, the family planning programme adopts three methods:

(i) Sterilisation (providing full protection),

(ii) I.U.D. insertion (providing 95 per cent protection) and

(iii) Regular use of oral pills (providing full protection) along with regular use of conventional contraceptives (which normally provide 50 per cent protection).

In India, the sterilisation drive has been facing a sharp fluctuation in its achievement. Table 6.12(b) reveals that the total number of people accepting and performing sterilisation as a family planning method has increased from 1.33 million in 1970-71 to 3.12 million in 1972-73 and then it slid down to only 0.94 million in 1973-74.

Under the blanket cover of emergency, sterilisation drive was launched ruthlessly and thereby its number swelled suddenly to 8.26 million during 1976-77.

Acceptance and Performance of Sterilisations

But after a high profit of such ruthless drive and the defeat of the Congress (I) Government in 1977 General Election on this issue, the Family Planning Department folded the network of this programme and the number of sterilisations declined sharply to only 0. 95 million in 1977-78.

But after 1978-79, the acceptance of sterilisation as a family planning method has maintained an increasing trend from 1.8 million in 1978-79 to 2.79 in 1981-82 and then to 4.90 million m 1985-86.

In recent years, the number of sterilisations performed has also maintained a stability as the number varied from 4.09 million in 1991-92 to 4.49 million in 1993-94 and then to 4.34 million in 1994-95.

Moreover, the percentage of couples protected effectively by different methods has been increasing over time. Table 6.13 reveals this definite trend.

Percentage of Eligible Couples

Table 6.13 reveals that the percentage of eligible couple protected effectively has increased from 10.4 per cent in 1970-71 to 23.7 per cent in 1981-82. Again this couple protection rate (CPR) has further increased to 44.1 per cent in 1990-91 and then to 48.2 per cent in 1998-99.

This increasing trend in couple protection rate has also led to a fall in the birth rate at a slower rate, i.e., from 36.9 per thousand in 1970-71 to 33.0 per thousand in 1976-77 and to 32.7 per thousand in 1984-85 and then to 25.8 per thousand in 1998-99.

Moreover, there is a female bias in respect of acceptance and performance of sterilisation programme in India as the number of male sterilisation is much less than that of female sterilisation. In 1994-95, total number of female sterilisation (Tubectomy) cases performed was 42.07 lakh as compared to that only 1.17 lakh male sterilisation (Vasectomy) performed in the same year.

Thus this acute gender inequity is also standing in the path of achievement of family planning programme. So in order to attain the desired level of success, the male must be made to share the burden of family planning equally with the eligible female population of the country.

Besides, non-family planning measures like raising the age of marriage, reducing the proportion of married female to total females in the age group of 15-44 etc. are also playing an important role in reducing the birth rate of the population.

In India, the proportion of married females in the age group 15-44 has declined from 85.75 per cent in 1961 to 80.48 per cent in 1981 and it is estimated that the same proportion may come down to 77.1 per cent in 1991 and then to 73.6 per cent in 2001.

Although the family planning programme has not been able to attain the desirable rate of success but these various policies and programmes adopted in this direction have helped containing population growth. The Total Fertility Rate, a measure of the average number of children born to a woman during her reproductive period has dropped from 5.2 in 1971 to 3.1 in 2001.

The crude birth rate has come down from 41.2 per thousand populations in 1971 to 25.0 per thousand in 2002 as per the estimates of Sample Registration System (SRS).

The crude death rate has also declined from 19 per thousand populations to 8.1 per thousand over the same period. Infant mortality rate has also declined from 129 per thousand live births in 1971 to 63 per thousand in 2002. The annual population growth rate works out at 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001, which is marginally lower than that of 2.22 per cent during 1981-91.

However, it is a tragedy that the National Population Policy, 2000 is incapable of meeting the inherent demographic requirements of the new economic policy of the country. The NPP 2000 has refused to recognise the fact that voluntary family planning programmes over the last five decades have failed to control the excessive population growth of the country.

As per the last National Family Health Survey held in 1998-99, it is found that only about 48.2 per cent of couples in India used any modern contraceptive and there again about three-fourths of these couples adopted sterilisation which is not of much use as it is known to us that mostly couples get themselves sterilised only after having two sons, that is, on an average three to four children.

It is no wonder that under such a situation the population growth rate of India has been abysmally slow, i.e., from 2.14 per cent per year during 1981-91 to 1.93 per cent per year during 1991-2001, which reflects a decline of only 10 per cent over a decade.

Thus it is found that in spite of India being one of the foremost countries to institute a national family planning programme as early as in 1951 the country has dismally failed to achieve the purpose till date. In contrast, the European countries where, too large families were as common as in India took the initiative much later but achieved considerable success much earlier.

There were two most important reasons behind this success. Firstly, they had the firm determination that children should not only be physically strong but also well educated or, at least, well trained in the specialised skills required for maintaining a productive career.

Secondly, they had the awareness that high cost of modern education and professional training must be maintained to make it possible for parents to support large families. It is the failure of India to catch up and pursue these two above-noted European guideposts that has pushed the country much behind the required achievement in demographic goal.

The socio political factors which are largely responsible for this failure of family planning programme in India include:

(i) Male child preference;

(ii) Politics of caste and communal vote banks;

(iii) Religious fundamentalism;

(iv) Male non co-operation in family planning; and

(v) Political apathy.

All these can be considered as the socio-political hurdles in the path of the success of population control programmes in India. So, it is wrong to insist that literacy, health care and poverty alleviation would check our population growth.

Recent Strategy:

In recent years, serious efforts were made by the Government towards the implementation of the strategy of population control and family welfare. Considerable progress has also been achieved in the socio-demographic parameters over the last two decades. However, the country continues to lag behind several other countries in the region. The following table reflects over the situation in this regard.

The National Population Policy, 2000 aims at achieving net replacement levels of total fertility rate by 2010 through vigorous implementation of inter-sectoral operational strategies. The long term objective is to achieve population stabilization by 2045 at a level consistent with the requirements of sustainable economic growth, social development and environment protection.

India's Global Position

Under the mandate of NCMP of the Government, the expenditure in the health sector is proposed to increase from 0.9 per cent of GDP to 2.3 per cent of GDP over the next five years. In order to augment health care services in rural areas of the country, a National Rural Health Mission has been conceptualized and is announced in 2005-06 Union Budget.

The National Rural Health Mission (2005-09) covered the whole country with special focus on 18 states which have either weak socio-demographic indicators and/or primary health infrastructure. These states are UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Uttaranchal, North Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

A Reproductive and Child Health Programme is commenced from April 2005 for a five year period. This encompasses the entire National Family Welfare Programme and is based on decentralized planning. The programme will be funded by the Central Government with partial funding support by World Bank, DFID and UNFPA as pooled financing.

USAID and European Union are the other development partners supporting the programme from outside the pool and UNICEF and WHO will be providing technical assistance for the programme.

3. Essay on the Importance of Family Planning Programme:

In an over-populated and underdeveloped country like India, the family planning or the family welfare programme has a special significance. The individual, family as well as the society as a whole are benefitted by the measures of family planning.

The following are the importance of family planning:

(i) Reducing the Growth Rate of Population:

The first and foremost importance of family planning is to reduce the rate of growth of population to a considerable extent. By introducing and popularising various birth control devices, the rate of growth of population can be controlled to a considerable extent.

(ii) Benefit to the Entire Nation:

The family planning is beneficial to the entire nation as the reduction in the rate of growth of population can pave the way for increase in the level of per capita income and also its standard of living. This will create scope for better employment facilities, better education and health facilities leading to a qualitative change for the betterment of life styles of the people of the country, in general.

(iii) Child Survival:  

The family welfare programme introduced in India has its importance on raising prospect of child survival by reducing the child mortality rate. This programme has been creating an environment where the children will be better fed, better cared and well looked after.

The first pragmatic initiative undertaken during the last two years of the Eighth Plan is the reorganisation of the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood and related programmes into the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) package of programmes.

A provision of Rs 450 crore has been made in 1997-98 (RE) or RCH scheme. Again the Pulse Polio immunisation has been continued for the third year during 1997-98 targeting children in the age group 0-5 years.

(iv) Safe Motherhood:

Family welfare programme has made provision for safe motherhood and thereby it has a special importance in raising the level of health facilities along with better pre-natal and post-natal care. Moreover, the family planning measures in the form of birth control devices has helped the mothers from unwanted pregnancy.

(v) Social Improvement:

The family welfare programme is considered to be very much beneficial both to an individual as well as to the society as a whole. The family planning will create favourable condition for the improvement in the standard of living and better health facilities for the people in general, leading to improvement in society.

4. Essay on the Obstacles in the Path of Implementing Family Planning Programme:

Although family planning programmes are gradually becoming popular among the people of India but there are some obstacles in its path.

Following are some of the obstacles in the path of implementing family planning programme:

(i) Illiteracy:

Wide spread illiteracy particularly in the rural areas is creating hurdles in the path of implementation of family planning programmes. Due to widespread illiteracy and lack of consciousness a good number of populations does not realise the importance of family planning measures and also of the small family norms.

(ii) Poverty:

Widespread poverty in India is a serious hurdle in the path of implementing family planning measure. Poor people prefer more children in their family as they have a misconception that greater; number of children would become an asset in their old age as they think that increasing number of children are expected to support the increasing income for the family.

(iii) Religious Opposition:

A sizeable section of the population of the country opposes the family planning measures as they consider the family planning as against the religious norms and an immoral act.

(iv) Fatalism:

Fatalism prevails upon the sizeable section of people of India. They consider the birth of child as a gift of god and accept the birth as a chance and not by choice. They do not accept the importance of family planning.

(v) Inadequacy of Cheap and Effective Methods:

The country is suffering from inadequacy of cheap and effective methods of birth control. This is mostly resulted from inadequacy of research on birth control.

(vi) Lack of Finance:

The family planning programme and the movement of population control has failed to cover entire areas due to lack of finances. In order to spread the message of family planning programme and also to implement the programmes sufficient funds are required. But the required amount of funds is not available for the implementation of the programme.

(vii) Shortage of Trained Staff:

The country is facing the problem of shortage of trained staff for the implementation of family planning programmes. The country is maintaining on an average two doctors for every 10 thousand population. Thus the poor performance of the family planning programme is mostly resulted from the shortage of trained staff.

(viii) Lack of Publicity:

Family planning programme in India is suffering from lack of publicity. Although nearly 70 per cent of the total population of the country are living in rural areas but there are gaps in imparting knowledge and information related to family planning particularly in the rural areas.

(ix) Lack of Motivation:

There is lack of motivation on the part of family planning programme staff to motivate the people for adopting family planning or birth control devices so as to accept the small family norms.

5. Essay on the Suggestions for the Family Welfare Programme:

Following are some of the important suggestions that can be normally advanced are achieving further success in the implementation of family planning programme:

(i) The family welfare programme be completely integrated and co-ordinated alongwith the public health measures.

(ii) Enrolment of more sincere, experienced and sympathetic personnel for the implementation of the programme.

(iii) Increasing production and free distribution of contraceptives among the poor people.

(iv) Raising the age of marriage for both sex through both legal and social sanction.

(v) Offering higher incentives for sterilisation.

(vi) Liberalising abortion for married women.

(vii) Withdrawing maternity benefits to those women violating two-child norm.

(viii) Adoption of Chinese system of incentives in respect of job, salary hike, promotion, housing, ration etc. to those who have been following small family norm.

(ix) Introduction of disincentive schemes in the form of increased taxation and withdrawal of other facilities etc. for those people who refuse to accept the small family norm.

(x) Making adequate provision for substantial reduction in the infant mortality rate and also to enhance the child survival rate for the successful adoption of small family norm.

(xi) To strengthen the monitoring of the entire programme so as to reduce leakages and misutilisation to the minimum.

(xii) Adoption of a strong political will by all the political parties for the universal implementation of family planning programme and also for adoption of incentive and disincentive package in connection with small family norm.

(xiii) Publicity. In order to send the message of family planning, its importance and method to the general masses, wide publicity must be made. Misconceptions about the harmful effect of birth control devices should be removed from the mind of the people through publicity. With the help of mass media like T.V., Radio, Cinema, Newspapers, Journals or by pamphlets the task of publicity can be made successfully.

(xiv) Spread of Education and Motivation. By raising the rate of literacy and to make the people more conscious about health and family welfare along with adoption of small family norm, the Government can popularise family welfare programmes among the people.

Spread of education among women and participation of women in various job opportunities and other social activities can raise their social status which can indirectly contribute towards containing the birth rate of population of the country. Moreover, the family planning programme staff should try to motivate people in general to adopt the family planning or birth control devices so as to accept the idea of small family norm.

(xv) Lastly, enlarging popular support and co-operation on the part of the general people and enhancing sustained administrative support for the implementation of the programme are very much essential to realise to goal of reducing the population growth rate to 1.2 per cent by 2000 A.D.

Thus the family planning programme in India needs a total change in its strategy. In this respect the family planning strategy to slow down the population increase followed by China has been far stricter and far more successful than that of India.

Jodi Jacobson in her report recently observed that, “Other countries can learn and copy a great deal from China’s experience. The barefoot doctor programme is one example. By decentralizing health care and family planning provided literally by villagers for villagers, countries can begin to combat high rates of maternal and infant mortality and provide the means and information necessary to plan families. A widespread rural network can help to educate people on population and environmental issues. By codifying and enforcing laws and offering women of every age educational and employment opportunities equivalent to men, countries can promote equity and lower fertility at the same time.”

Thus the present population scenario in India demands a bold strategy for the successful implementation of family planning programme in India.

Related Articles:

  • Measures taken by Government of India for Family Planning
  • Top 5 Measures Adopted by Government for Family Planning
  • 5 Major Loopholes in the Population Policy of India
  • Birth Rate and Death Rate in India (Statistics)

Essay on Family Planning In India - Class 9 PDF Download

1 Crore+ students have signed up on EduRev. Have you?

Introduction

What is meant by family planning, need of family planning programme in india.

Essay on Family Planning In India - Class 9

History of Family Planning In India

The Vision of Launching National Family Planning Programme (1952)

  • To make people understand the importance of small healthy family and thus to adopt the same.
  • To make parents only to decide and plan the number of children they want to have.
  • The media and leaders must approach the people and make aware to them about the importance of the family planning programme.
  • To ensure that services are made available to the people easily.
  • The programme was further continued in the nation in form of several series of five-year plans from the year 1952 to 1979. The main motive of the programme was to enhance the economic growth in the nation. The birth control procedures also changed in the due course. It changed from the rhythm method to the use of Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs) and sterilization methods.

Programme of Sterilization- Earlier during the initiation of the family planning programme barrier methods were mostly brought into use by the people for birth control. Later during mid of the 1960s, the use of IUDs and Sterilization methods became more popular. The programme of sterilization was also launched as a part of the family planning programme in the year 1975 during the period of the National Emergency. In this programme, the men with two or more children were to be the subject of sterilization. The reality was that many young, unmarried, poor men and political opponents became victims of this programme. In this way, more than 10 million people had been operated during this. Later the National Family Planning programme was renamed as National Family Welfare Programme in the year 1977.

Procedures Adopted By People For Birth Control In Family Planning Programme

Achievements of family planning programme in india.

  • A hike of three times is noticed in the use of contraceptives by the people from 1965 to 2009. The percentage of married women using contraceptives in the year 1970 was 13% and that rose to become 48% in the year 2009.
  • People have become more aware of the use of contraceptive methods after the introduction of family planning programmes.
  • There was a reduction in fertility rates and it was halved. It reduced from 2.4 % in the year 2012 to 5.6% in the year 1966.
  • About 16.8 crores of births have been prevented in the nation with the introduction of family planning programme.

Criticisms of Family Planning Programme In India

  • The family planning programme in India would be more effective if the focus of the programme would be on the factors like poverty, education, public health care, etc. that affects the population growth.
  • It would have been better if the local compulsions and contexts were given more attention rather than working on the priority of programmes that had been provided with a good amount of foreign funds attached with conditions and external pressures.
  • The process of forced sterilization of men from 1975 to 1977 was considered inappropriate and thus it created great dislike among the people for the family planning programme.
  • This further resulted in the diversion of the focus of the sterilization process in the family planning programmes towards women.

Family Planning Strategies At Present

  • Enhance the use of contraceptives and their delivery to the people
  • Reduction in the fertility rate in the entire nation from 2.3 to 2.1 till the year 2025
  • Promoting the family planning campaign via print, television, radio, and social media

The Current Scenario- At present, female and male sterilization, intrauterine contraceptive devices, oral contraceptives, and barriers, are the official methods that are focused in family planning programmes. The use of condoms also has increased in the nation at present. This also helps in reducing the chances of transfer of sexually communicated diseases. More attention is being given to the increase of healthcare facilities in the nation. Women nowadays have become more conscious of their health and therefore they are using contraceptive methods to avoid unwanted pregnancies. A decreasing trend in the fertility rate has been observed after the initiation of family planning programmes in India. The fertility rate that was 5.7 in 1966 had declined to 3.3 in the year 1997. Later in the year 2009, there was more reduction in the fertility rate and it became 2.7. At present, the fertility rate is approximately 2.3. In this way, we can observe that was a significant change noticed after the initiation of the family planning programme in India and its continuation till 2012. Recently Mission Pariwar Vikas family planning programme is active in the nation. The plan has also been updated in November 2019 for making it a more effective family planning campaign in the nation. It has been observed that the effectiveness of the family planning programmes has been reduced from the 1980s onwards. Family planning and population growth in the nation cannot be controlled until and unless the programmes are implemented effectively. The political leaders during the time of elections promise different actions to be taken for control of population growth and enhance family planning in the nation. They forget their promises once they win the elections.

The Dire Need of Population Control In India

Conclusion Social evils like poverty, illiteracy, religious beliefs, lack of opportunities, etc are the great obstacles that hinder the success of family planning programmes in the nation. There are many states in India that are still having higher fertility rates. It is because of the people’s belief in their old traditions or customs and religious faith. Women in these areas fear in using any type of birth control methods. Education is the most important weapon to eradicate these problems from society. The educated people can get good job opportunities and understand different programs and policies in a better way. Thus, the government of India must make effort to make the nation free of these existing issues. The process is time taking as the population of India is very high yet right effort in right direction will surely bring a positive result.

Top Courses for Class 9

Sample Paper

Practice quizzes, study material, mock tests for examination, past year papers, shortcuts and tricks, extra questions, previous year questions with solutions, video lectures, essay on family planning in india - class 9, important questions, objective type questions, semester notes, viva questions.

family planning in india essay

Essay on Family Planning In India Free PDF Download

Importance of essay on family planning in india, essay on family planning in india notes, essay on family planning in india class 9 questions, study essay on family planning in india on the app.

cation olution
Join the 10M+ students on EduRev

Welcome Back

Create your account for free.

family planning in india essay

Forgot Password

Unattempted tests, change country, practice & revise.

TriumphIAS

CHANGING FAMILY STRUCTURE IN INDIA | Sociology Optional for UPSC Civil Services Examination | Triumph IAS

CHANGING FAMILY STRUCTURE IN INDIA, Best Sociology Optional Coaching, Sociology Optional Syllabus.

Table of Contents

CHANGING FAMILY STRUCTURE IN INDIA

(relevant for sociology syllabus: paper 1 –  systems of kinship:- contemporary trends, family and marriage in india), (relevant for gs syllabus: paper1-  effects of globalization on indian society ).

family planning in india essay

  • Families have both structure and function. Like the skeleton and muscles in a body, the structure is what gives a family it’s size and shape. Also, like organs within the body that perform necessary functions to keep the body working, there are certain necessary functions that keep families healthy. It sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.
  • It asserts that our lives are guided by social structures, which are relatively stable patterns of social behaviour. Social structures give shape to our lives – for example, in families, the community, and through religious organizations and certain rituals, or complex religious ceremonies, give structure to our everyday lives. Each social structure has social functions or consequences for the operation of society as a whole.
  • Social structures consist of social relationships, as well as any social institutions within a society. One example of a social structure is a social class (upper-class, middle-class, and poor). Another example of a social structure is the different levels of government. Family, religion, law, economy, and class are all social structures.

CHANGING FAMILY STRUCTURE IN INDIA, Best Sociology Optional Coaching, Sociology Optional Syllabus.

INDIA AND ITS FAMILY STRUCTURE

  • India has a rich family structure with a patrilineal background, which help the family members to sustain a life with kinship groupings. Earlier, mostly joint families were found where family members live together under one roof. They all mutually work, eat, worship and co-operate each other in one or the other way.
  • This also helps the family to get strong mentally, physically and economically, the children also get to know about the values and traditions of the society from their grandparents and elders. The family system has given a lot of importance in India and has worked more often to make the bonding among families stronger.
  • The family system has given a lot of importance in India and has worked more often to make the bonding among families stronger . Meanwhile, urbanization and westernization had its influence on the basic structure of the Indian family structure. The division of the joint family into smaller units is not the symbol of people rejecting this traditional structure. The circumstances and conditions also made the need for people to split the family.
  • The family as a social institution has been undergoing change. Both in its structure and functions changes have taken place. In India, as in many traditional societies, the family has been not only the centre of social and economic life but also the primary source of support for the family members.
  • The increasing commercialization of the economy and the development of the infrastructure of the modern state have introduced a significant change in the family structure in India in the 20th century. Especially, the last few decades have witnessed important alterations in family life.
  • India’s fertility rate has fallen, and couples have begun to bear children at a later age. At the same time, life expectancy has increased, resulting in more elderly people who need care. All of these changes are taking place in the context of increased urbanization, which is separating children from elders and contributing disintegration of family-based support systems.

FACTORS AFFECTING FAMILY STRUCTURES

  • Change in Fertility: An inevitable outcome of declining fertility rates and increasing age at first birth in most of the countries in the world, including India, is a reduction in family size. Fertility declined due to the combined effect of substantial socio-economic development achieved during the last two decades and the effective implementation of family planning programmes.
  • Hence, it has become irrational for many people to have large families as the cost of children is increasing. In traditional societies, where human labour was a source of strength to the family, more children were preferred to fewer. But as the economic contribution from the children in a family decreased, because of a move away from agriculture, the need for large numbers of children decreased.
  • Improvements in health care and child survival also contributed. The emphasis was on the quality of life rather than the number of children, a new concept added to the family.
  • CHANGE IN AGE OF MARRIAGE: In many countries in the world where significant declines infertility are being experienced, reductions in the proportion of people never married have often coincided with or preceded declines in marital fertility. A substantial increase in the proportions never married, among both males and females, at young ages, has been noted in many countries. A consequence of the increase in the proportion of never-married young adults is the gradual upward trend of the average age at marriage. Postponement of marriage among females resulted in the postponement of childbearing with a reduction in family size.
  • CHANGE IN MORTALITY : Mortality declines, particularly infant mortality, everywhere preceded the decline of fertility. Improved survival rates of children mean that when women reached the age of 30 they increasingly had achieved the completed family size they desired. Earlier, much larger numbers of births were required to achieve the desired completed family size.
  • In the last three decades, infant mortality has declined significantly in every country and this trend undoubtedly influenced the fertility decline. Mortality decline, followed by fertility decline, altered the age structure of the population and also the structure within individual families.
  • MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION : It is no longer the case that all marital unions, whether formal or informal reach final dissolution through death. A considerable proportion of unions are disrupted suddenly for reasons such as desertion, separation or divorce. An obvious failure in a family relationship is where husband and wife cease to live together.
  • Those women who are divorced at latter ages mostly remain single for the rest of their lives and live with their dependents. The idea that when a couple has children it will be less likely to divorce is widely accepted in most societies. However, it is believed that in the last couple of years even in most of the Asian cultures, including India, a growing proportion of divorces involve couples with young children (Goode 1993).
  • PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The commercialization process which opened markets in many developing countries has succeeded in replacing the traditional co-operation in the economic relationship, with that of competition.
  • In this process, the social institutions in these countries found themselves in conflict with the key aspects of the new economic systems. The economics of the family and the sexual division of labour within the family is very much determined by opportunities in the labour market. The developing economies of system India have facilitated the freeing of women from household chores and their entrance to the labour market.
  • The declining ability of men to earn a ‘family wage’ along with the growing need for cash for family maintenance has resulted in an increasing number of female members (particularly the wife) in the family engaging in economic activities (Lloyed and Duffy 1995).
  • Talcott Parsons, theoretical insights on the family have attracted widest attention and deliberation. Parsons (1954, 1956) argues that modern industrial society has led to the growth of what he calls “isolated nuclear family”. This family is structurally isolated as it does not form an integral part of the wider kinship group.

Symbolic Interactionism Sociology, Symbolic interaction, meaningful symbols, social interaction, human behavior, language, dramaturgical analysis, labeling approach, sociological theories, critical analysis.

To master these intricacies and fare well in the  Sociology Optional Syllabus,  aspiring sociologists might benefit from guidance by the  Best Sociology Optional Teacher  and participation in the  Best Sociology Optional Coaching.  These avenues provide comprehensive assistance, ensuring a solid understanding of sociology’s diverse methodologies and techniques.

changing family structure changing family structure, age of marriage, contemporary trends contemporary trends, family and marriage in India family and marriage in India, family planning family planning, family support system family support system, fertility rate fertility rate, globalization globalization, India India, joint family joint family, kinship kinship, marriage dissolution marriage dissolution, mortality mortality, Sociology Sociology, urbanization urbanization, westernization westernization

Why Vikash Ranjan’s Classes for Sociology?

Proper guidance and assistance are required to learn the skill of interlinking current happenings with the conventional topics.  VIKASH RANJAN SIR  at  TRIUMPH IAS  guides students according to the Recent Trends of UPSC, making him the  Best Sociology Teacher  for  Sociology Optional UPSC.

At Triumph IAS, the  Best Sociology Optional Coaching  platform, we not only provide the best study material and applied classes for  Sociology for IAS  but also conduct regular assignments and class tests to assess candidates’ writing skills and understanding of the subject.

Choose  T he Best Sociology Optional Teacher  for IAS Preparation?

At the beginning of the journey for  Civil Services Examination  preparation, many students face a pivotal decision – selecting their optional subject. Questions such as “ which optional subject is the best? ” and “ which optional subject is the most scoring? ” frequently come to mind. Choosing the right optional subject, like choosing the  best sociology optional teacher , is a subjective yet vital step that requires a thoughtful decision based on facts. A misstep in this crucial decision can indeed prove disastrous.

Ever since the exam pattern was revamped in 2013, the UPSC has eliminated the need for a second optional subject. Now, candidates have to choose only one  optional subject for the UPSC Mains , which has two papers of 250 marks each. One of the compelling choices for many has been the sociology optional. However, it’s strongly advised to decide on your optional subject for mains well ahead of time to get sufficient time to complete the syllabus. After all, most students score similarly in General Studies Papers; it’s the score in the optional subject & essay that contributes significantly to the final selection.

“A sound strategy does not rely solely on the popular Opinion of toppers or famous YouTubers cum teachers.”

It requires understanding one’s ability, interest, and the relevance of the subject, not just for the exam but also for life in general. Hence, when selecting the best sociology teacher, one must consider the usefulness of  sociology optional coaching  in  General Studies, Essay, and Personality Test.

The choice of the optional subject should be based on objective criteria, such as the nature, scope, and size of the syllabus, uniformity and stability in the question pattern, relevance of the syllabic content in daily life in society, and the availability of study material and guidance. For example, choosing the  best sociology optional coaching  can ensure access to top-quality study materials and experienced teachers. Always remember, the approach of the UPSC optional subject differs from your academic studies of subjects. Therefore, before settling for  sociology optional , you need to analyze the syllabus, previous years’ pattern, subject requirements (be it ideal, visionary, numerical, conceptual theoretical), and your comfort level with the subject.

This decision marks a critical point in your  UPSC – CSE journey , potentially determining your success in a career in IAS/Civil Services. Therefore, it’s crucial to choose wisely, whether it’s the optional subject or the  best sociology optional teacher . Always base your decision on accurate facts, and never let your emotional biases guide your choices. After all, the search for the  best sociology optional coaching  is about finding the perfect fit for your unique academic needs and aspirations.

Follow us :

🔎 https://www.instagram.com/triumphias

🔎 www.triumphias.com

🔎https://www.youtube.com/c/TriumphIAS

🔎 https://t.me/VikashRanjanSociology

Find More Blogs

194 comments

  • Pingback: Children Helping Parents in Selling Articles Not Child Labour | TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY- Sociology the Discipline: Relevant for Sociology Paper-1 | TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STATE & SOCIETY-Relevant for Sociology Paper-I : Politics & Society - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: Fundamentalism :Relevant for Sociology Paper-I -Religion and Society - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: PAROCHIALISATION AND UNIVERSALISATION - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: Dr. B.R. AMBEDKAR - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: FOLKWAYS, MORES, CUSTOMS, SANCTIONS- Sociology as Science: Relevant for Sociology Paper-1 - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: International Women's Day
  • Pingback: Sociology Fundamental Concepts: SOCIETY, CULTURE, ETC.
  • Pingback: Understanding Gender Sociology
  • Pingback: Gender Bias in American Society
  • Pingback: Liberal Feminism: Understanding the Concept and Its Key Principles
  • Pingback: Socialist Feminism - Empowering Women through Intersectional Analysis of Gender and Class in Socialist Feminism | A Comprehensive Guide for UPSC Sociology Optional Students
  • Pingback: Postmodern Feminism: Challenging Fixed Gender Categories and Embracing Diversity
  • Pingback: Feminism: Recognizing Intersectionality and Building Solidarity
  • Pingback: Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage and Sociological Perspectives on Divorce in India
  • Pingback: Hunger in India: Causes, Impacts and Ways to Address the Problem
  • Pingback: Bhutan Relationship: Present Status, Challenges, and Importance for India
  • Pingback: Understanding the Landscape of Work & Economy in India: Industrial Development to Organizational Structures
  • Pingback: Understanding the Role and Challenges of Cooperative Societies in India
  • Pingback: Data Governance: Navigating the Landscape of Data Governance
  • Pingback: Karl Marx and the Dialectics of Historical Materialism
  • Pingback: Understanding Military Ethics: Just War Theory and Beyond
  • Pingback: Contribution and Criticism of Historical Materialism to Sociological Theory
  • Pingback: Ethics in Public Relations: Guiding Principles and Unethical Practices
  • Pingback: Addressing Malnutrition in India: Enhancing Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
  • Pingback: Understanding Self-Concept through Symbolic Interactionism
  • Pingback: Harnessing the Potential of India's Electronics Manufacturing Industry
  • Pingback: Distinguishing Leaders, Administrators, and Reformers: Impact on Human Values
  • Pingback: Understanding Talcott Parsons' Pattern Variables in Role Theory
  • Pingback: Harnessing India's Demographic Dividend: Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategic Reforms.
  • Pingback: Role of Parents and Teachers in Child Development. Roles of a Good Parent
  • Pingback: Managers vs Leaders: Unraveling the Contrast for Organizational Success | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Father's Role in Child's Development: An Integral Role in Shaping a Child's Future | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Economic Data: Its Pivotal Role and Challenges in Policy Making and the Impact of ESG Considerations | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Essential Values for Civil Service: Foundation for Effective Public Service | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Intellectual Property Rights: Promoting Innovation and Empowering Women in IP | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Understanding Attitude: An In-depth Study of its Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioural Components | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Attitudes and Behavior: Unraveling Social Influence and Public Service Values | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Defence Diplomacy : A Deep Dive into India's Growing Defence Strategy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Bridging the Gap of Public Administration: Enhancing the Relationship between the Public and Administration in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: E-Waste Management in India: Challenges, Practices and the Road to Sustainability | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Understanding the Definition of the Situation: Role in Social Order and Symbolic Interaction | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Cooperative Based Economic Development: Empowering the Cooperative Movement | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Exploring Deprivation: Unveiling Social Inequality and the Path towards Inclusivity | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Unpacking Freebie Politics: Implications for Economy and Sustainable Development | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Methodology in Sociology | Sociology Optional for UPSC Civil Services Examination | Triumph IAS #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Women's Health in India: Priorities, Challenges, and Initiatives | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Unraveling the Depth of Interpretive and Qualitative Approaches in Sociology | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Bureau of Police Research and Development: Its Role in National Security | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Striving for Enhanced Road Safety: Global Goals, Indian Measures and the Way Forward | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Symbolic Interactionism Sociology: Understanding Human Behavior through Meaningful Symbols and Social Interaction | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Life quality should be Great Rather than long | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Phenomenology: The Art of Understanding Social Reality through Personal Perception. | Sociology Optional for UPSC Civil Services Examination | Triumph IAS #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Casteism, Communalism, Regionalism: Understanding the Challenges to India's Development: Understanding the Challenges to India's Development | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ethnomethodology: Understanding Social Order, Indexicality, and the Documentary Method | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication: A Deep Dive into the Art of Simplicity | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Shadow of Internet Shutdowns: Causes, Impacts, and Arguments in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Feminist Methodology: Approaches, Criticisms, and Transformations in Sociological Research | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Infrastructure Development: The Cornerstone of Economic Growth | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ethical Research Principles and Related Concerns: A Comprehensive Overview | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Becoming a Woman: Exploring Gender Beyond Biology | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Reliability and Validity in Research: A Comparative Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Imperative of Gender-Responsive Urban Planning in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Insights into Case Studies and Life Histories in Sociological Research | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Understanding Sampling Methods in Sociological Research | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Unity in Diversity: The Essence of India's Composite Culture | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Understanding Social Surveys: Types, Methods, and Importance | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Blue Revolution: Enhancing India's Fisheries Sector for Economic Growth | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Joy is The Simplest Form of Gratitude | Keval N Mehta Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 206
  • Pingback: Swati Sharma Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 15
  • Pingback: Historical Sources: Understanding Their Significance and Types in Sociology | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Balancing Privileges and Principles: The Key to Ethical Living | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Gunjita Agarwal Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 26
  • Pingback: Inclusive Growth Economics: Elements, Challenges, and Its Significance in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Maniya Verma Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 258
  • Pingback: Understanding El Niño and La Niña: Effects on Global Climate and Indian Monsoon | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Navigating Economic Challenges for India's Future Growth | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Communalism & Casteism: Challenges to the national integration. | Kritika Goyal Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 14
  • Pingback: Methodology, Values, and Objectivity in Sociological Research | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Combining Methods and Triangulation in Sociological Research | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Climate Change: Challenges for Women Farmers in Agriculture | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Tug of War Between Individual Rationality and Collective Insanity | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP): Insights and Significance | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow | Yash Kumar Sharma Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 196
  • Pingback: Understanding Growth and Development: Concepts and Challenges | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Himanshu Bhaskar Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 Rank 308
  • Pingback: Globalizing Indian society Myth or reality | Jarad Partik Anil Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 112
  • Pingback: Understanding Poverty in India: Causes, Estimation, and Challenges | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Mauryan Art and Architecture: A Remarkable Legacy of Ancient India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Addressing Crime Against Minors: Causes, Impact, and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sufism in India: A Historical Overview of Major Sufi Orders and Their Influence | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Various Forms of Environmental Movement | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The lack of money is the root of all evil | Anirudha Pandey Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 64
  • Pingback: Immanuel Kant and Deontological Ethics: Understanding the Categorical Imperative and Moral Philosophy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sanskriti Somani UPSC | An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind | Sanskriti Somani UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 49
  • Pingback: Maniya Verma UPSC Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 258
  • Pingback: The Golden Age of Gupta Empire: Artistic Legacy and Cultural Impact | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Tackling Food Inflation in India: Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Urban Heat Island Effect: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Urban Planning in the Indus Valley Civilization: Its Modern Relevance | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Dynamics of Attitude Change: Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive Components | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Positive Attitude in Civil Servants: Why It Matters and How to Cultivate It | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Caste Census in India: A Comprehensive Guide to its History, Importance, and Challenges Sociology Optional UPSC | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Green Gold: Forests as Blueprints for Economic Brilliance | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Financial Inclusion in India: Challenges and Pathways to a More Inclusive Economy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Black Carbon: The Unseen Threat to Glaciers and Climate in the Himalayas | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Exploring Cultural Relativism: A Balanced View on Ethics, Morality, and Social Norms | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: India-Africa Relations: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in a Time of Turmoil | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Explain Leela Dube Concept of Seed and Earth: Gender Construction in Hindu Society? | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Clash of Perspectives: Science's Triumphs over Romanticism in History | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Exploring Conscience: A Deep Dive into Joseph Butler's Perspective and Its Critiques | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Unlocking Earth's Secrets: The Role of Seismic Waves in Understanding Earth's Interior Layers | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Role of Ecology and Environment in Sustained Economic Development | Keval N Mehta Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 206 | Keval N Mehta Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 206
  • Pingback: Hidden Blunders: The Environmental and Cultural Crisis Ravaging the Himalayas | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Central Information Commission: The Guardian of Right to Information in India| #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Beyond Comfort Zones: Embracing Life's True Voyage | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Pillars of Social Ethics: A Guide to Navigating Complex Societal Dynamics | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: In the context of changing Indian society, how do you view Andre Beteille’s conceptions of harmonic and disharmonic social structures? | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Abhinav Siwach Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 12
  • Pingback: Sociological Analysis of Freebies as a Political Tool in UPSC Sociology Optional Paper | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Swati Sharma Air 15 UPSC Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 Rank 15 | Copy 12
  • Pingback: Navigating the Complex Terrain of Integrity Pact in India's Public Procurement | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Unlocking the Potential of Organic Fertilizers in India's Agricultural Sector | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Treaty of Versailles: A Comprehensive Look at Its Lasting Impacts on Global History | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sociological Analysis Demand of Scheduled Castes Status BY MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS UPSC Sociology | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ranjit Guha’s Approach to Subaltern Studies: Significance and Criticisms | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: PM-PRANAM Scheme: A Turning Point for India's Fertilizer Subsidies and Sustainable Agriculture? | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sanskriti Somani Copy | No Culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive | UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 49
  • Pingback: Green Chemistry and Its Role in Transforming Agrarian India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sociological Analysis of Artificial Intelligence: Benefits, Concerns, and Future Implications | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Moderate Phase of Indian Nationalism: Goals, Leaders, and Legacy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Significance of Emotional Intelligence in Administration | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Gunjita Agarwal UPSC Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 26 | Copy 14
  • Pingback: The Sociology of Gotra and Its Complex Relationship with the Caste System in India - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: Climate Change: A Sociological Analysis of Causes, Impacts, and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Food Processing Sector in India: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impact on Farmers | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Same-Sex Marriage in India: Legal Challenges, Societal Impact, and Government's Stand | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Post-1857 Revolt: Transformations in Indian Governance and British Colonial Strategy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Role and Influence of Pressure Groups in Modern Governance | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Manan Bhat Sociology Copy | No Culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive | UPSC CSE 2022
  • Pingback: Earthquake Swarms: Characteristics, Foreshocks, and Aftershocks | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Evolution of Indian Bronze Sculpture: The Golden Age of Chola Artistry | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Tackling the Crisis of Malnutrition in India: Causes, Effects, and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: S.V Siva Prakash IRS UPSC Soicology | March of the Science and Erosion of Human Values | UPSC CSE 2022
  • Pingback: Dikshita Joshi UPSC Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 58 | Copy 16
  • Pingback: New Education Policy 2020: Sociological Significance of Vocationalization and Skill Development in Indian Education | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current affairs 12 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Indian Caste System: A Challenge and Opportunity for Sociology in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Rajat Yadav | Infrastructure investment, in science is an investment in jobs, in health, in economic growth, and developmental solutions | Copy UPSC CSE 2022 RANK 111
  • Pingback: S.C. Dube's Contributions and Criticisms in the Study of Indian Villages | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Navigating the Challenges and Impacts of the Digital India Program on the Indian Economy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Louis Dumont's Ideological Focus in Understanding Indian Society through HOMO HIERARCHICUS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Inclusion of the African Union in the G20: Implications and Prospects Under India’s Presidency | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current affairs 14 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Comparing M.N. Srinivas and S.C. Dube: Diverse Perspectives on Indian Village Life UPSC Sociology | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: The Role of Indian Saints in Social Reforms and Awareness: An Exploration Based on G.S. Ghurye’s Indian Sadhus| #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Download Essay Paper 2023 UPSC Mains Essay Question Paper | Triumph IAS
  • Pingback: Communalism in India: A Detailed Sociological Analysis and the Role of Media | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Synthetic Human Embryos: Navigating the Ethical and Regulatory Labyrinth of Biotechnology’s Newest Frontier | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Interlinking of Rivers in India: Boon or Bane for Indian Agriculture | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Download GS 1 Paper 2023 UPSC Mains GS 1 Question Paper | Triumph IAS
  • Pingback: Current affairs 16 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Carbon Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Emission Trading and India's Strategy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current affairs 18 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ethical Dimensions and Reform Strategies for Addressing Police Misconduct and Brutality | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current affairs 19 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Download Sociology Paper 1 2023 | Triumph IAS - TriumphIAS
  • Pingback: Current affairs 20 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Gender Disparity in Science: A Deep Dive into India’s Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ethical Challenges and Best Practices in Digital Privacy and Data Security for the Public Sector | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Air Pollution in India: A Looming Crisis Impacting Health and Life Expectancy | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Swati Sharma UPSC Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 Rank 15
  • Pingback: Himanshu Bhaskar UPSC | Sociology Test Copy UPSC CSE 2022 Rank 308
  • Pingback: Download Sociology Paper 1 2023 | Triumph IAS [Paper-1 : SOCIOLOGY OPTIONAL ] : UPSC MAINS CIVIL SERVICES IAS EXAM 2023 QUESTION PAPER
  • Pingback: Download Sociology Paper 2 2023 | Triumph IAS [Paper-2 : SOCIOLOGY OPTIONAL ] : UPSC MAINS CIVIL SERVICES IAS EXAM 2023 QUESTION PAPER
  • Pingback: Sociology Paper 1 2023 | 24 SEP 2023 | Triumph IAS UPSC MAINS CIVIL SERVICES IAS EXAM 2023 QUESTION PAPER
  • Pingback: Download Sociology Paper 2023 | Triumph IAS [Paper-2 : SOCIOLOGY OPTIONAL ] : UPSC MAINS CIVIL SERVICES IAS EXAM 2023 QUESTION PAPER
  • Pingback: Empowering Urban Poor: BSUP and IHSD Programs in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Ethical Standards in Public Service: Challenges and Solutions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current affairs 26 Sep 2023 Important News | for GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current Affairs 27 Sep 2023 Important News | GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Strengthening India-France Ties: A Look at the 25-Year Strategic Partnership | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Distinctiveness of the Feminist Method in Social Research: Features and Contributions | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: UPSC CSE 2023 ESSAY TOPICS
  • Pingback: Current Affairs 28 Sep 2023 Important News | GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Mediation Act 2023: Hope for Judicial Reform in India | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Current Affairs 29 Sep 2023 Important News | GS | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Understanding Durkheim's Four Types of Suicide: Egoistic, Altruistic, Anomic, and Fatalistic
  • Pingback: Ethics of Space Exploration and Commercialization: Balancing Challenges and Opportunities | #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching
  • Pingback: Sociology Paper 2 2023 | 24 SEP 2023 | Triumph IAS [Paper-2 : SOCIOLOGY OPTIONAL ] : UPSC MAINS CIVIL SERVICES IAS EXAM 2023 QUESTION PAPER
  • Pingback: MARRIAGE IN INDIA - TriumphIAS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your Article Library

Family planning in india | essay.

family planning in india essay

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Family Planning in India!

Family planning involves the provision of birth prevention, information, services and appliances. It also involves teaching women (sometimes men as well) about their body and how to prevent births, usually with contraceptives but sometime also with abortion or sterilization.

Till today, India is number two in the world in terms of population. As per our growth rate there is every possibility of its becoming the world number one within a few years. Crores of rupees are being spent from the national exchequers on various schemes of population control and family planning campaigns. All these years, one fundamental human right that we have successfully protected as a nation is the right to multiply ourselves. We have certainly proved to the world how fertile we are.

As written earlier, after independence, a Population Policy Committee was constituted in 1952 and a Central Family Planning Board was established in 1956 with a view to check the increasing population. During the 1960s, a more vigorous family planning programme was advocated for stabilizing the growth of population.

Right from the very beginning, a voluntary family planning has been adopted in our country. The programme of family planning involved intensive education, provision of facilities and advice to the people in the far off areas through a network of family planning centres.

The masses were educated about the merits of small family and the eligible couples were motivated to adopt the preventive methods of population growth. During the Fifth Five-Year Plan period (1974-79), a more rigid policy with an element of compulsion, monetary incentives, penalties and legalization of abortion was adopted.

During 1975-77, when the emergency was in operation, a tough sterilization policy was adopted under the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which was opposed and resisted by the masses. Objections to the tough policy also became evident during the election held in 1977 after emergency wherein the Congress lost power at the centre.

When in 1980, Indira Gandhi returned to power, she became extremely cautious in implementing the family planning programmes. Subsequently, Indian administration used less coercive methods of encouraging family planning. The new methods include placing health experts in all villages with more than 1,000 population publicizing the merits of small families and offering financial rewards to parents who accept steril­ization after having two children.

The family planning organization attempts to provide a variety of contraceptives and other services to them. In its family planning awareness drive, the Government of India adopted the UNEP guideline of delaying the first child and spacing the subsequent births. In 1977, ‘family planning’ was rechristened as ‘family welfare’. Now, it embraces all aspects of family welfare, including improvement in women’s educational level and their status in the society.

After 1980, the efforts of family planning (family welfare) of almost all governments in the states and at the centre have much slackened. In fact, for all practical purposes, the country is without an effective programme or target. Political parties cleverly skirt the subject, and election campaigns are conducted without a word about it.

Now, it has become a tabooed subject. Because of this apathy towards the programme, the rate of population increase is still over 1.64 per cent. The total fertility rate (TFR) in India is as high as 2.58. One of the biggest hurdles in population control is illiteracy and conser­vative mind-set. Large sections of the people of India are tradition-bound and religious in their attitudes who do not accept easily new ideas and modern outlook.

Being religious, they generally do not observe family planning. Birth control is forbidden by some religious sects such as Catholic and Islam. In India, caste restrictions on occupation also help to slow down transformation of society and process of development. Thus, a positive and favourable attitude among the people towards birth control is essential for which, large-scale literacy is necessary.

Family planning programme in India has come to a standstill. It has taken a back seat today. In fact, the programme is moving backward as today we are producing 31 children every second. This stagnation is bound to wipe out all the efforts that have been made so far.

Population control has been a hundred per cent centrally sponsored programme since its inception. Expenditure on the programme has been increasing over the years. From a budget of Rs. 14 lakh during the First Plan period (1951-56), it increased to Rs 65 crore in the Eighth Plan period (1992-97) and to Rs 1,20,375 crore in the Eleventh Plan period (2007-2012). In spite of this increase in budget, family planning programme has not made any success but rather going backward.

When we compare our programme and the population growth with China, we are much disheartened to note that our programme is very slow the fertility rate 2.58 is more or less standstill while China has brought the fertility rate down to 2.5 from 5.82 among eligible mothers.

This success was achieved by China within the last decade by adopting the norm of one child per couple. They have reduced the family size from two children to one child only in 1980. Those who violated this norm were penalized. Penalties however vary with local conditions.

Generally, they include ineligibility for better housing, reduced educational opportunities, fines, etc. The planned child was given special allowances till the age of 14 for education and upbringing and the couple was provided with land for building a house or for farm or machinery.

In China, free contraceptive and abortions are available in clinics throughout the country. A well-devoted organizational network exists for implementing the family planning programme. Women’s contraceptive and fertility records are pasted at the local health centres. Friends and neighbours may strongly and repeatedly urge for the compliance of the one-child policy.

Social and institutional changes have speeded up the decline in fertility. Better health services and higher literacy of females have also helped in reducing fertility and consequently birth rate. Also, with the expanding role of woman from that of a traditional housewife to a working woman in a factory or an office, fertility rate declined.

A major component of the programme in China is encouraging late marriage and late child birth. The marriage age is generally over 24 for women and 26 for men and pre-marital sexual relations are uncommon. Being a democratic country, India cannot adopt such a rigid and coercive policy.

This policy is indirectly an encroachment over individual freedom. Very recently, population control policy and family planning (welfare) are being pursued with great zeal and vigour with the result that the birth rate has now been showing a steady decline.

Related Articles:

  • Family Planning and Family Welfare Programmes
  • Family Planning Programme for Population Control in India

No comments yet.

Leave a reply click here to cancel reply..

You must be logged in to post a comment.

web statistics

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Family Planning / The Problems With Family Planning In India

The Problems With Family Planning In India

  • Category: Life
  • Topic: Family Planning

Pages: 1 (425 words)

Views: 1416

  • Downloads: -->
  • Chamarbagwala, R. , & Ranger, M. (2010). A Multinomial Model of Fertility Choice and Offspring Sex Ratios in India. Journal of Development Studies, 46(3), 417-438. https://doi. org/10. 1080/00220380903012755
  • Koenig, M. A. , Ahmed, S. , Stephenson, R. , Jejeebhoy, S. J. , & Campbell, J. (2006). Individual and Contextual Determinants of Domestic Violence in North India. American Journal of Public Health, 96(1), 132-138. https://doi. org/102105/AJPH. 2004. 050872
  • Rammohan, A. (2014). The trade-off between child labour and schooling in India. Education Economics, 22(5),484-510. https://doi. org/10. 1080/09645292. 2011. 641271

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Thankfulness Essays

Confidence Essays

Honor Essays

Laughter Essays

Anger Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service  and  Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->