Review the population policy of the Govt. of India giving the distinguishing features.

The NDA Government announced the Population Policy in February, 2000 based on the report of the Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The policy includes various targets and aims with the goal to achieve stabilised population by the year of 2045.

The policy can be highlighted with the following points:

• To establish reproductive and infant health services system.
• To reduce maternal mortality rate to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
• To reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1,000 live births.
• To achieve 201 total reproductive capacity by 2010 as a middle term objective.
• To achieve 100 per cent registration of births, deaths, marriages and pregnancies.
• To stabilise the growth of population by 2045 as the long term objective.
• It constituted a National Population Commission under the Prime Minister of India to help achieve these objectives.

Not only the population stabilisation but also rise in the standard of living of people is included in this policy. For this, “Health Insurance Policy” is proposed along with it. Balika Samriddhi Yojana and “Maternity facility schemes” are continued for the Below Poverty Line people.

Effective implementation is also required for result, so the scheme aims to enforce the laws relating to maternity, reproduction and marriage with strictness.

The Child Marriage Prohibition Act and Prenatal Diagnosis Act, Abortion related Act will be implemented strictly.

The Policy as a whole includes a comprehensive draft containing about 12 Schemes and 14 Targets to be achieved by 2010. There is a dire need to enforce the provisions with determination.