Lok Sabha Question No. 871 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-23
Subject: Two Child Policy
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Uday Pratap Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA U NSTARRED QUESTION NO. 871 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD JULY, 2021

## TWO CHILD POLICY

## 871. SHRI UDAY PRATA P SINGH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is considering to formulate a policy to check population growth which could  be  applicable  to  all  citizens  regardless  of  their religion  or  sects  and  act  as  one nation, one law across the country;

- (b)if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to bring a two child policy;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the time by which it is likely to be brought in the country; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR . BHARATI PRAVIN PAW AR )

(a) : The  Government  has  been  implementing  National  Family  Planning  Programme which provides  voluntary  and  informed  choices  to  all  citizens  regardless  of  their  religion through a target free approach with the objective of checking population growth in the cou

(b) :A National Population Policy was formulated in the y ear 2000 with the long term objective of  attaining  Population  Stabilization  by  2045.  Various  Initiatives  have  been  taken  un National  Family  Planning  Programme  providing  broad  range  of  services  mentioned  as  give below.

1. Mission  Parivar  Vikas has  been  introduced  for  substantially  increasing  access  t contraceptives and family planning services in 146 high fertility districts in 7 h states.
2. Expanded  Contraceptive  Choices: The  current  cont raceptive  basket  comprising  of condoms, Combined oral contraceptive pills, Emergency contraceptive pills, Intraute contraceptive uterine device (IUCD) and Sterilization has been expanded with inclusi

new contraceptives namely Injectable contraceptive (Antara programme) Centchroman (Chhaya)

and

3. Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors which provides compensation for loss of  wages  to  the  beneficiary  and  also  to  the  service  provider  and  team  for  condu sterilisation.
4. Post- partum  Intrauterine  contraceptive  device  (PPIUCD)  incentive  sc heme under which PPIUCD services are provided post delivery.
5. Scheme for Home Delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep of beneficiaries has been taken up.
6. Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits in the drug kits of ASHA for use in communities.
7. Family  Planning  Logistics  Management  Information  System  (FP - LMIS): dedicated software has been launched to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distributio family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.

Achievement of t he above initiatives are as follows: -

- The Total Fertility Rate has declined from 2.7 to 2.2 from 2005 - 06(NFHS III) to 2015 - 16 (NFHS IV)
- 28 out of 36 States/UTs have already achieved the replacement level fertility of 2.1
- The Crude Birth Rate has declined from 23.8 to 20.0from 2005 to 2018 (SRS)
- (c):  No.
- (d) : Does not arise

(e) : (i) India's Wanted Fertility Rate has come down to 1.8 in NFHS IV indicating that couples want only 1.8 children on an average.

- (ii)  The  Programme  of  Action  (PoA )  of  the  International  Conference  on  Population  and Development, Cairo, 1994, to which India is a signatory, is unequivocally against coerc family planning.
- (iii)  International  experience  shows  that  any  coercion  or  diktat  to  have  a  certain  n children is counter - productive and leads to demographic distortions like sex selective aborti abandonment of the female child and even female infanticide due to intense son preferenc this eventually resulted in a skewed sex ratio.
- (iv) States li ke Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and other States/UTs have succeeded  in  reducing  their  fertility  rates  by  adopting  a  holistic  approach  towards planning without resorting to any stringent population control measures.