Family Planning in the Nineties-More of the Same

Family Planning in the Nineties More of the Same?
THE 1991 Census [GOI 1991] once again revealed an explosive population growth during the decade The population had increased by yet another 160 million; the increase was 137million during 1971-81 and 109 million during 1961-71 [GOI 1989:7]. By all accounts it is an unmitigated disaster for the country. It is a devastating indictment of the family planning programme. The allocation for family planning programme jumped from Rs 6.5 million and Rs 15,0 million during the First (1951-56) and Second (1956-61) Plans to Rs 270 million and Rs 2,858 million during the Third (1961-66) and the Fourth (1969-74) Plans. It was a massive Rs 10,100 million in the Sixth Plan (1980 85) and Rs 32,560 million in the Seventh Plan (1985-90) [GOI 1989b:4). Against these facts the claims of the authorities about the per cent of couples protected and the number of births averted are totally irrelevant, if not plainly mythical.