National Population Policy

A National Population Policy was adopted in 2000. It provides a framework for advancing goals and prioritising strategies during the next decade to meet the reproductive and child health needs of the people of India. It states that the objective of economic and social development is to improve the quality of lives people lead to enhance their well-being and to provide them with opportunities and choices to become productive assets in society.

The objectives of the policy are mentioned below:

1. The immediate objective is to address the un-met needs for contraception, health care infrastructure and health personnel and to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care.
2. The medium-term objective is to bring the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to replacement levels by 2010, through a vigorous implementation of inter-sectoral operational strategies.
3. The long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045, at a level consistent with the requirements of sustainable economic growth, social development, and environmental protection.

In pursuance of these objectives, the policy formulated 14 National Socio-Demographic Goals to be achieved by 2010. They are :

1. To address the un-met needs for basic reproductive and child health services.
2. To make school education free and compulsory and reduce drop outs.
3. To reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.
4. To reduce maternal mortality rate to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
5. To achieve universal immunization of children.
6. To promote delayed marriage for girls.
7. To achieve 80 percent institutional deliveries.
8. To achieve universal access to information/counseling and services.
9. To achieve 100 per cent registration of births, deaths and marriages.
10. To contain the spread of AIDS.
11. To prevent and control communicable diseases.
12. To integrate Indian Systems of Medicine in the provision of services.
13. To promote vigorously the small family norm.
14. To bring convergence in implementation of related programs