Responding to a question by Bhartiya Janata Party MPs Ravindra Kushwaha and Manoj Tiwari, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said, “The total fertility rate has declined from 2.7 to 2.2 from 2005-06 (NFHS III) to 2015-16 (NFHS IV). The decadal growth rate has declined from 21.54% in 1990-2000 to 17.64% during 2001-11.”
MPs Kushwaha and Tiwari sought the government’s response to a report which stated India to become the most populous country by 2027. They also asked if the government had taken recommendations from MS Swaminathan Committee, which had offered suggestions like having a target-free approach on contraceptive use.
Minister Mandaviya confirmed involving the Committee’s recommendations. Presenting proof of success for the government’s population control initiatives, he revealed statistics (that measure changing factors in population) showed a downward trend. The total fertility rate declined from 2.7% to 2.2% (2005-06 to 2015-16), the decadal growth rate declined from 21.54% to 17.64% (1990-2000 to 2001-11), crude birth rate declined from 23.8% to 20.0% (2005 to 2018), and the teenage birth rate was also halved from 16% to 8%.
Vasectomy Fortnight, which encouraged male participation in family planning and post-abortion family planning services, were among some of the initiatives listed by the government for curbing India’s population growth.
News Source : FlipBoard
