Population & Social Development - New Directions

POPULATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
NEW DIRECTIONS

Avabai B. Wadia

INTRODUCTION

As the last years of this century are rapidly slipping by, and as we stand at the threshold of a new millennium, we have reached a crucial watershed in the affairs of mankind.

We must take a look and a look forward. Have we set our sights on a new vision, a new momentum, an upward thrust to the third millennium where the quality of life will be at the highest pitch ever achieved? What do we have to offer the coming generations?

Looking , we find that globally, the 20th Century has seen the production of untold wealth, of remarkable   new inventions and resources, of an enrichment of material living standards for an increasing number of people, of an unprecedented revolution in communications, freedom from the shackles of colonialism and of false ideas of racial superiority, class and caste constrictions, and the right of every person to freedom and his or her own individuality.

The other side of the coin shows, however, that this century has seen the most brutal of wars, instability, violence, millions of uprooted and displaced persons, deepening poverty in contrast to increasing riches, exploitive politics endangering a liberal political culture, with democratic values receiving different and self-serving interpretations in rich and poor countries and similarly coloured views on human rights, and resources which are squandered wantonly.

Among the recent global events, the cold war and its alignments have ended, ideologies have collapsed, and a new wind is blowing, reaching out to all countries (both to their advantage and detriment). The new creeds embrace economic liberalisation and globalisation; of individualism, individual freedoms and human rights (without clarity as to whose, and against whom). The communications revolution is sending out powerful messages. These are penetrating our homes and bedrooms, and bending our minds, values and cultural heritages in extraordinary ways. Rabindranath Tagore said more than 60 years ago: “the impertinence of material dominion is extremely old; the revelation of spirit in Man is ever modern though born of an immemorial past.” We need that revelation of spirit to cope with rapid changes.

The 20th century has ushered in many revolutions - of the space age, of the incredible inventiveness of science and technology, and, a breadth of vision of the living world, of the spaceship Earth, ofthe universe.

It is a truism now to speak of the world becoming a global village. But has this been accompanied by humans becoming a global community? This then, must be the major challenge to mankind.

INDIA TODAY

In India, a half-century of freedom has brought us face to face with almost intractable problems for whose solution only we can take responsibility. Some of these problems have been inherited from our past subjugation, but others are of our own making. If poverty and economic deprivation have been inherited, we have exacerbated them by perpetuating social wardness, inequalities of gender and caste, outmoded traditions and divisions, lessening tolerance of religion and beliefs and a new individualistic cynicism.

Among our main tasks are:

• to eliminate poverty

• to adopt and apply a holistic view of economic growth with sustainable development and environmental concerns

• to liberate economic enterprise for the creation and sharing of wealth and productivity, among all sectors of the people

• to equip people through adequate measures of health, education, skills, and intellectual and moral capabilities to raise the quality of life.

• to revitalise social structures and create new norms where equality and freedom irrespective of class, caste, religion or gender can be practised as human rights and responsibilities.

• to base the system of politics and governance on the best democratic traditions free from exploitative power.

These are only the broad brush strokes and they need to be translated into viable propositions and concretised. But we require more than material means to do so. We need a new faith and vision and a sense of direction of our own making. It was Einstein who once said that “it is more difficult to disintegrate a prejudice than to split the atom” and our present state of clinging to self-centred prejudices has to change.

A TURNING POINT

In our country, we have been trying to embody our ideas and the direction in which to go, through the main instrument of the Five Year Plans. We have had our successes and failures. But currently, events are overtaking such planning, as for instance, the 8th Five Year Plan.

The most striking change in the 1990’s has been the privatisation and globalisation of the economy. It is a turning point and is expected to lead India into the big-player league. But in a country where poverty affects one-­third of a huge population, the encouragement of private enterprise must be accompanied by safety nets. The dangers inherent in structural  adjustment policies are real. This requires a wise and far-seeing balancing act.

Furthermore, the release of new energies through private enterprise cannot be confined only to economic matters, but must inevitably affect the social and human spheres where people can learn to help themselves, and do it rapidly. Economic liberalisation policies are galvanising the world of industry and the corporate sector, but its effects on agriculture, rural development, and raising human resource levels are yet to be visible. So far, little attention is being paid to improve human capacities and qualities. In factory and farm and in all occupations, competitiveness and new challenges cannot be met without top class workers and top class people in general.

Population Growth: A Pervasive factor

Running through all these aspects and especially in creating employment and employable people, is the factor of population growth. This is a world-wide phenomenon which was ushered in by the industrial age, and applies to all countries in different forms.

The population phenomenon hit Western Europe more than two centuries ago and was solved very gradually and in line with rising economic prosperity and massive migrations to other lands. Increases in population came much later to countries like India and were accelerated after independence when better health and other measures began to be applied. The solutions had to be different from those in the West.

Conscious measures to contain population growth have been planned and implemented and they have to be telescoped within a generation or so. The East Asian countries, with similar problems but starting much later than India, have already neutralised their population in their remarkable progress and prosperity. China with the largest population in the world, has reduced its growth rate to 1.3%, India, second most populous nation is still growing at 1.9% and will overtake China in a few years unless truly vigorous action is undertaken. India’s population will cross the one billion mark in the year 2000, and will be 1.3 billion by the next 30 years from now. It is estimated that it will stabilise at approximately 1.8 billion (twice its present size) by about the end of the next century.

Wasting Precious Time

Our population and family planning programmes are now at a cross roads. We are wasting precious time in carrying on a programme which has now become somewhat tattered, un-­inspiring, lacking any expression of political will or a dynamic structure and organisation. A huge number of people employed in the programme are drawing salaries but mostly perpetuating failure. Many have drawn attention to this state of affairs and the Government is aware of it but as yet there is no breakthrough.

The programme needs re-shaping conceptually and in practical measures. Its ethical, humanitarian and people ­centred basis must be emphasised. Social and economic paradigms must be promoted wherein people themselves feel that the small family is the most viable one.

The National Development Council did take cognizance of population concerns as far as 1991 and in 1992 issued a report which mostly reiterate a old ideas. However, it went on to recommend that a Working Group be established for drafting a new population policy for consideration by parliament. This Group was constituted in July 1993 and submitted its Report in May 1994. One understands that presently, the Report is in the process of the usual not-so-merry-go-round of being circulated for ascertaining the views of various Ministries and/or States. These lethargic procedures unfortunately kill enthusiasm, new thinking, and a revival of vigorous efforts.

Some successes have been achieved whereby after years of work, the birth, death and infant mortality rates have come down several points and at present stand at 29.1, 9.1 and 79 respectively. The growth rate is 1.9% (SRS 1992), expectation of life has gone up, but unfortunately, the sex ratio has deteriorated to 929 : 1000. The total fertility rate is now at 3.6 from over 6 in the 1940’s. These are all-India figures. A demographic transition has started from the southern part of the country. Kerala, Tamil nadu and tiny Goa are the examples. But the four giant States in the north remain sluggish. The pace is too slow and every year an addition of 17 million people will soon lead India to become the most populous country in the world, without resources to match.

The Draft Population Policy attempts to meet and overcome the draw­s of the present programme. Some of these draw-s are that it is:

-         highly centralised.

-         bureaucratised.

-         demographic rather than devel­opmental.

-         not sufficiently integrated except with MCH (which leaves men out, among other things).

-         incentive/disincentive in an un-­imaginative way.

-         medically dependent, except for some spacing methods.

-         mass - based rather than respecting the individual and his/ her needs.

-         externalised, as from Govern­ment to people, and not people-centred where communities and NGOs play a vigorous role.

-         isolated from other human development measures.

The Draft National Population Policy has brought together three vital aspects, gummed up in the phrase of being “pro nature, pro poor, pro women”, to show that the gaps must be closed in the pursuit of measures for population, development and the environment, with the aim of raising the quality of life for all. Its approach is not demographic as such, nor contraceptive - oriented so much as based on a broad front of social and human development. Quality services in health, MCH and family planning are emphasised along with a whole constellation of measures in an interlinked manner, which will help to advance social development and to reduce population growth. It strongly emphasises the minimum needs programme as a means to this end.

One of its most important features is the emphasis on gender equity and equality. No previous document on population and development has emphasised women’s rights and role as has the draft policy.

The Policy also emphasizes in unequivocal terms the role of NGOs, and this must be implemented in the right spirit of participation in planning as well as service delivery. For this to happen effectively, NGOs must also observe high standards of integrity, accountability and capability.

A radical change in structure has been recommended by the policy. This is the setting up of a Population and Social Development Commission consisting mostly of non-officials, with effective executive powers with a corresponding fund. There are precedents in other countries for such a step, most notably in Indonesia.

I cannot end without commenting on the forthcoming women’s conference in Beijing. Women have learnt to speak forcefully and even dominate, as at Cairo. But Beijing is their own parade ground and even battle-ground. The Forward looking strategies at the Nairobi Conference in 1985 gave excellent guidelines. Their fulfillment is incomplete. Beijing must now provide the ultimate push towards this. In particular, the voices of Indian; Asian and African women must be heard loud and strong, speaking their own minds and thoughts, and not merely echoing western leads.

We have to ensure that 2000 years of regarding women mainly as child bearers and rearers, as perpetuators of the human race, and as the adjuncts of men, is transformed in the third millenium to recognising them as individuals in their own right as the half of humanity with full rights to act as such in all spheres of human endeavours and progress.

            [D. V. Krishna Rao Endowment Lecture delivered on 9-5-1995 at Andhra Mahila Sabha, Hyderabad, Edited because of space constrictions]