India has achieved a crucial milestone in population control, with 31 states and union territories reaching a replacement fertility rate of 2.1 or less. This achievement is a product of focused government initiatives, successful implementation of family planning measures, and the significant progress indicated by the National Family Health Survey.
Understanding Replacement Level Fertility
Replacement level fertility refers to a total fertility rate (TFR) of approximately 2.1 children per woman. If the TFR falls below 2.1, it suggests that a generation is not reproducing enough to replace itself. This could lead to a reduction in population over time.
The TFR represents the total number of children likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime, assuming current age-specific fertility rates. There has been a significant decline in India’s TFR from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21, according to the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).
India Family Planning 2030 Vision
The Indian Government has revealed a vision for Family Planning 2030. The focus areas include strategies to address teenage childbearing, increase male participation in awareness programs, deal with migration issues, and improve access to contraceptives.
Modern contraceptive prevalence rates vary across states and depend on several factors such as easy access to health facilities, availability of contraceptives, and prevailing social stigma. For instance, the rate stands at 35% in Bihar and 24% in Uttar Pradesh for women with migrant husbands.
There is also concern about the high unmet need for contraception, especially among married adolescent girls and young women. The vision includes plans to leverage the private sector for providing modern contraceptives, contributing significantly to the supply of pills, condoms, and other reversible contraceptives.
Achieving Replacement Level Fertility: Key Factors
Empowering women and promoting the use of modern contraceptives have played pivotal roles in achieving replacement level fertility. There is marked progress in areas related to fertility, family planning, age at marriage, and women’s empowerment in recent years.
The introduction of new reversible spacing methods, wage compensation systems for sterilization, and the promotion of small family norms have also been effective. Meanwhile, government initiatives such as Mission Parivar Vikas and National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme have substantially increased access to contraceptives and family planning services in districts with high fertility rates.
About the National Family Health Survey
The National Family Health Survey is a multi-round survey conducted across India by the International Institute for Population Sciences, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its primary goals are to provide essential health and family welfare data for policy-making purposes and to shed light on emerging health and family welfare issues.
The NFHS-5 report indicates a further decline in TFR from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level between 2015-16 and 2019-20. Only five states – Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Manipur – have a fertility rate above the replacement level of fertility.
The Way Forward
Despite achieving replacement level fertility, substantial proportions of India’s populace still fall within the reproductive age group. These demographics should remain central to future intervention efforts. India’s approach has traditionally prioritized supply-side factors like providers and delivery systems. However, it’s time to shift focus to demand-side elements, including families, communities, and society. This change in perspective could bring about more significant, rather than incremental, improvements.