Family Planning and Welfare

FAMILY PLANNING
India was the first country in the world to have launched a National Programme for
Family Planning in 1952.
Over the decades, the programme has undergone transformation in terms of policy and
actual programme implementation and currently being repositioned to not only
achieve population stabilization goals but also promote reproductive health and
reduce maternal, infant & child mortality and morbidity.
The objectives, strategies and activities of the Family Planning division are designed and
operated towards achieving the family welfare goals and objectives stated in various
policy documents (NPP: National Population Policy 2000, NHP: National Health Policy
2017, and NHM: National Rural Health Mission) and to honor the commitments of the
Government of India (including ICPD: International Conference on Population and
Development, MDG: Millennium Development Goals, SDG: Sustainable Development
Goals, and others).
Factors influencing population growth can be grouped into following 3 categories-

• Unmet need of Family Planning: This includes the currently married women, who wish to
stop child bearing or wait for next two or more years for the next child birth, but not using
any contraceptive method. Total unmet need of Family Planning is 9.4 (NFHS-V) in our
country.
• Age at Marriage and first childbirth: In India 23.3% (NFHS-V)of the girls get married below
the age of 18 years and out of the total deliveries 6.8% are among teenagers i.e. 15-19 years.
The situation regarding age of girls at marriage is more alarming in few states like, Bihar
(40.8%), Rajasthan (25.4.%), Jharkhand (32.2%), UP (15.8%), and MP (23.1%). Delaying the
age at marriage and first child birth could reduce the impact of Population Momentum on
population growth.
• Spacing between Births: Healthy spacing of 3 years improves the chances of survival of
infants and also helps in reducing the impact of population momentum on population
growth. SRS 2019 data shows that In India, spacing between two childbirths is less than the
recommended period of 3 years in 49.1% of births.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

• The current fertility rate for India in 2022 is 2.159 births per woman,
a 0.92% decline from 2021.
• The fertility rate for India in 2021 was 2.179 births per woman,
a 0.95% decline from 2020.
• The fertility rate for India in 2020 was 2.200 births per woman, a 0.9%
decline from 2019.
• The fertility rate for India in 2019 was 2.220 births per woman,
a 0.89% decline from 2018.
Survey Data (NFHS):
• Nationwide, the small family norm is widely accepted (the wanted fertility rate for India as a whole is 1.6: NFHS-5) and the general
awareness of contraception is almost universal (98.8% among women and men: NFHS-5).
• As per NFHS-V TFR for India is 2.0. The NFHS-V Survey shows 66.7% use of Contraceptives among married women (ased 15-49
years)and prevalence of modern method 56.5%
• Strategies under family planning programme in the country:

Policy Level Service Level

Target free approach More emphasis on spacing methods

Voluntary adoption of Family Planning Methods Assuring Quality of services

Based on felt need of the community Expanding Contraceptive choices

Children by choice and not chance