THE CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENT

India was one of the first developing countries to recognize and intimate programmes
and measures towards family planning. The Family Planning Programme (FPP) has
been a constant topic for debate. On one hand the belief is that FPPs primary aim
should be to control population growth through implementation of reproductive
methods and technologies, while on other hand, people have started seeing the
programme as a vehicle to promote womens autonomy and choice in reproductive and
sexual health related decision.
Tracing back to the history of family planning measures in India, it could be observed
that initially Clinic based approach was adopted which made an assumption that those
who want to adopt the measures would come to the clinics. But this did not work. As a
result, around 1960-61, Extension Education approach was adopted which recognised
the information-education-communication approach. No matter what approach was
adopted, all the measures were guided by the underlying fear of impending population
explosion and as such the focus was on using reproductive methods to curb population
growth. It was only in mid 1990s that the importance of rights in the family planning
discourse was recognised.
Looking at the social context of development, it could be said that the FPP failed to
recognise various aspects governing the social circle of an individual. The major focus of
FFPs has always been on controlling reproduction through women. Men were not
interested in using contraceptives and as such, rather than encouraging men to use
contraceptives and participate in family planning, the entire burden of family planning
was shifted on the shoulders of women. Another aspect of FPP in India was that it failed
to recognise the existing social dynamics and decision making within a household.
Women were targeted, but did they have any say when it came to decide on matters of
family planning? Also, within a village society, not only intra family dynamics are
working, class and caste dynamics also have a major role to play. This was again not
recognised by the FPP.
Talking about the political context, FPP has been used by the ruling government to
propagate their agenda which is reflected by the mass sterilization camps organized
during the Indira Gandhi regime. Here, the rights of households and especially women,
to have a say in the decision making pertaining to family planning were completely
ignored. It also created a sense of fear among the people which added fuel to the fire of
the then state of family planning. Before the Cairo conference took place, coercive
polices were the norm when it came to family planning policies. It was only after the
Cairo conference that the FPP was renamed as Family Welfare Programme and it re-
oriented itself from its earlier target based approach to a service based approach. The
result was creation of National Population Policy and the current Reproductive and
Child Health Programme. These measures were undertaken in order to reduce the fear
and anger that had rose among people on account of coercive family planning policies.
It is very critical to address the development problem of family planning through
communication strategy because of the fact that though various measures have been
taken by the governments, the results towards family planning have not been up to the
mark. Further, up till now the programmes have failed to create an environment of
equity and participation of various social groups and stakeholder in the process of
family planning. Though the names have changed, some re-orientation has also taken
place in terms of policies, yet there is a lot that needs to be changed and a lot can be
learned from the example of neighbouring developing countries like Bangladesh who
have been relatively more successful in its family planning policies and programmes.
The problem of family planning also needs to be addressed because till now the
approaches have been in isolation or fragmented, there is a need for adopting a holistic
approach taking into consideration the social, political as well as economical dynamics
of the village society so as to have a sustainable and effecting family planning
programme.