Inter-lInkages between PoPulatIon DynamIcs anD DeveloPment In ...

The NPP 2000 adopted 12 strategic themes:1. Decentralised planning and programme implementation;2. Convergence of service delivery at village levels;3. Empowering women for improved health and nutrition;4. Child health and survival;5. Meeting the unmet need for family welfare services;6. Underserved population groups;7. Diverse health care providers;8. Collaboration and commitments from NGOs and the private sector;9. Mainstreaming Indian systems of medicine and homeopathy;10. Contraceptive technology and research on RCH;11. Providing for the older population; and12. IEC.It also proposed setting up a National Commission on Population, whichwas subsequently established.Although the NPP 2000 recognised the impact of development onpopulation, it focused on fertility decline and the resulting populationgrowth. Measures such as convergence of service delivery at villagelevel and empowering women for improved health and nutrition aswell as child health and survival had a potential for indirectly influencingfertility, however, they were largely seen as supportive of contraceptiveservices. Subsequently, several states also developed state populationpolicies. However, as we shall see later, the progress on achievingobjectives of the NPP 2000 has been very slow.Stabilising the population is anessential requirement forpromoting sustainabledevelopment with moreequitable distribution.However, it is as much afunction of makingreproductive health careaccessible and affordable forall, as of increasing theprovision and outreach ofprimary and secondaryeducation, extending basicamenities including sanitation,safe drinking water andhousing, besides empoweringwomen and enhancing theiremployment opportunities andproviding transport andcommunications.NPP 2000National Health Policy 2002A National Health Policy (NHP) was enunciated in 2002 to supersedethe earlier policy of 1983. It sought to achieve an acceptable standardof good health among the general population by increasing access andcoverage of the public health system to enhance equity in health. Italso argued for increased financial resources for health.With respect to population growth, the NHP 2002 stated that:The synchronisedimplementation of the NHPand NPP was seen as the verycornerstone of any nationalstructural plan to improve thehealth situation in the country.Efforts made over the years for improving health standards havebeen partially neutralised by the rapid growth of the population. It is well recognised thatpopulation stabilisation measures and general health initiatives, when effectively synchronised,synergistically maximise the socio-economic well-being of the people.The principal common features between the NPP and NHP were identified as relating to the prevention andcontrol of communicable diseases; giving priority to the containment of HIV/AIDS infection; universalimmunisation of children against all major preventable diseases; addressing the unmet need for basic healthand RH services, and supplementation of the infrastructure.National Youth Policy 2003The thrust of the National Youth Policy centred around Youth Empowerment in different spheres of nationallife. To harness the energy of the youth as a positive force for national progress and enable them to contributetowards socio-economic development, the policy sought greater participation of youth in the processes ofdecision-making and execution at local and higher levels.The policy recognised that a growing population is a serious national problem that had negated many of ourachievements in the field of development. The policy also argued that youth have an important role to play in10