Shaping India’s Population Policy and Programme: Internal Factors and External Influences

India has had a population programme, earlier called ‘family planning’ and later family welfare, for over fifty years. For some time initially, there was no explicit population policy but the programme announcements served as implicit policy. A clear policy was introduced in 1976, followed by a substantial revision though not a total abandonment of it a year later. In 2000, after much deliberation, another policy was announced. With a broad consensus that rapid population growth is not desirable for the economic development of a country with limited resources, the programme has generally promoted fertility regulation as the basic instrument of reducing population growth. The policy and programme formulation is naturally influenced by a number of factors. Economic, social, and demographic conditions within the country could influence thinking on population issues by opinion leaders as well as policies of the government. Besides, international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, development agencies of certain countries, and non-government foundations could call for policy measures and funding agencies could impose conditions on policies and programmes for receiving financial aid; there has long been criticism of external or ‘foreign influences’ on India’s population policies and programmes.