'Hum do, hamare do'... seriously

There is good news for family planning officials, population counting bureaus and "population-is-India's-burden" cynics. According to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 1998-99, the fertility rate among Indians is declining. The NFHS has shown that the fertility rates in India are declining mainly because of female sterilisation which is the main form of contraception used in India. The report showed that the total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman would bear with the current fertility rate) is 2.9 births per woman. This figure is more in the rural areas where a woman on an average produces almost 1 child more than her urban counterpart. The survey showed relation between education and fertility. The fertility rate also varied across communities with Muslims having a greater rate than others. Other facts that came to light were that child bearing was concentrated between the ages of 20 and 29 years, with 19 percent of mothers still in their teens. The survey pointed out that the fertility rate would decline further if women were to have only the children that they wanted. The decline could also be accomplished if more males undertake sterilisation than the current figures. As of now, of the total contraception-using population, 70 out of 100 women opt for sterilisation as a method of birth control whereas only 4 out of 100 men do the same. The survey also highlights some grim realities - most rural women still do not get the basic facilities during childbirth, most mothers-to-be are undernourished and a lot of women still have babies they don't want. Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh still lag far behind in terms of implementation of family planning measures. The survey underlines the improvements made in the field, but there's still a long way to go to Utopia!

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