International experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortions, the Center said in December 2020
International experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortions, the Center said in December 2020
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Mohan Bhagwat’s Wednesday call for a ‘population control policy’ may not be on the same page as the government’s December 2020 affidavit which said that he could not force couples to have a “certain number of children” in order to curb the population explosion.
Additionally, a 2016 Supreme Court judgment written by Justice (now retired) Madan B. Lokur also ruled that any policy that compels “mass sterilization” would amount to a violation of “reproductive freedoms”. “, especially those of the most vulnerable groups in society whose economic and social conditions make them easy targets of coercion.
Justice Lokur had written that “improved access, education and empowerment” and not coercion should be the guiding factors behind the government’s population control campaign. “Government policies must not reflect the systemic discrimination prevalent in society,” the court had said in the ruling.
In a 2020 affidavit, the government was adamant in its stance on mandatory population control. “Family Welfare Program in India is voluntary in nature, which allows couples to decide on their family size and adopt the family planning methods that best suit them, as per their choice, without any coercion. “said the Department of Health and the Union. Family welfare said.
In fact, the government said the period 2001-2011 saw the biggest drop in the decadal growth rate among Indians in 100 years.
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He said India was a signatory to the Program of Action (POA) of the International Conference on Population and Development, 1994. The POA was unequivocal against coercion in family planning.
“International experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortions,” the ministry told the court, in response to a motion filed by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay for introduce a population control law. Mr. Upadhyay had declared that “the population explosion was more dangerous than the explosion of a bomb”.
The government has said India has experienced a “steady decline” in total fertility rate (TFR). He pointed out that, according to census statistics, “2001-2011 is the first decade of the last 100 years that not only added less population compared to the previous one, but also recorded the largest decline in the decadal growth rate. from 21.54% in 1991-2001 to 17.64% in 2001-2011”.
The ministry said the TFR, which was 3.2 at the time of the adoption of the National Population Policy in 2000, had dropped significantly to 2.2 according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) of 2018. TFR is an indicator for estimating the average number of children a woman would have during her childbearing years.
In addition, the 2017 National Health Policy (PNS) had set indicative, quantitative and objective targets for the government, including achieving a TFR of 2.1 by 2025, the government said.