Population is a subject of which the perception varies with the
viewpoint of the observer. To the demographer it is an exercise in
statistics, to the politician a matter of votes, to the economist it is
dissipation of wealth, to the bureaucrat a problem of feeding, clothing,
educating and housing the masses and to the industrialist a source of
labour. For the affluent countries and the small affluent class in the
poor countries it poses a threat to the existing order on which they
thrive.
A variety of quick fix Western ‘scientific’
techno-managerial solutions have been devised to control the fertility
of the proliferating masses of the world. This highly coercive strategy
is being operated through the health departments of the developing
countries against the ‘eligible’ female. This is strongly promoted by
international agencies with massive funding for such programmes through
the national governments. This has nevertheless failed to achieve the
targets.
In the absence of a concomitant desire to promote the
social and economic development and welfare, the poor realise that it is
children who provide them the only source of love and economic security
in an increasingly hostile world. The increasing population, despite
such single-minded coercive programmes for control of their fertility
shows how a programme designed by the ‘haves’ to serve their own
interests cannot inveigle the poor who devise their own methods for
evading what they know goes against their overall welfare.
Forceful
implementation, especially against the male during the emergency, even
led to the overthrowing of a government. This has resulted in more
benign sounding strategies and programmes like IUD, immunization, MTP,
Maternal and Child Health, laparoscopic tubectomy, ‘non-scalpel’
vasectomy, Norplant injectable contraceptives and vaccines, combined
with crude incentives and disincentives for their acceptance. The change
of name of these basically medical solutions for what is essentially a
social problem into heavily externally funded ‘Family Planning’ and
‘Family Welfare’ programmes has not only failed to entice the poor to
control their fertility but has also affected the Primary Health Care
programme through which it is carried out. In the process it has also
disrupted the medical and health services which serve the felt needs of
the poor.
No amount of mere changing of the names of the
programmes or of the projects/activities can convince them that there is
a change of heart. This can be achieved only by visible improvement in
fields like education, health and rural development.
The close
association between poverty, family size and population is observed not
only in sub-Saharan countries, as at present, but was also observed in
countries like the UK during the early days of the industrial
revolution. Over production is nature’s method for ensuring survival of
the species. This is also demonstrated in our northern BIMARU states as
compared to those of the South. It is also seen within each state
between the reproduction rate of the rich and poor, which is concealed
by aggregate statistics.
And yet it is our own state of Kerala
which most vividly demonstrates that it is not necessary to await
affluence as in countries like Germany to achieve a NRI (Net
Reproductive Index) of 1, and even below the replacement level, since
Kerala has already achieved this with an annual per capita expenditure
on health equivalent to US$ 15 as compared with US$ 3000 of Germany.
The
intimate connection between education of the female and family size can
be achieved at an economic level, which is within the reach of most
countries of the world. Education of the female is desirable not only
for population control but even more so for its own sake as it initiates
a cascade of other social and economic changes. The care of much of the
health and medical functions including family size lies within her
capacity and can be achieved more cost effectively in an accessible and
humane manner.
The depletion and pollution of the natural
resources of our planet is far more the result of wasteful utilisation
by an affluent few rather than that of the marginalized masses.
Health
and medical care can serve only as a vehicle for reaching technology to
those who desire to voluntarily limit the size of their family.
The
regulation of family size cannot be imposed as a national programme by
political fiat. Their role is to create the climate and opportunity for
demand and utilization of reproductive technology.
Overall, social
and economic development is the prerequisite for the control of
population. This is feasible well within our existing resources if these
are distributed in a reasonably equitable manner. The prime requirement
for this is the political will, which is unfortunately dominated by a
select few.
Indian-style Pasta 
