NPP Full form
What is the Full Form of NPP?
India has the world's second-largest population. With a present population of over 1.3 billion people, population growth management is a top priority for all governments. This page contains information on the National Population Policy, 2000, as well as earlier such policies and initiatives declared by the government in this regard. This is a significant topic in the UPSC exam's politics, governance, and social concerns sections. The second population strategy of the federal government is the National Population Policy (NPP) of 2000. The NPP's immediate goal is to address unmet contraceptive, healthcare infrastructure, and health staff requirements, as well as to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child healthcare.
Characteristics Of National Population Policy
The NPP emphasises the government's objective of encouraging voluntary and informed choices, as well as citizen agreement, in order to maximise the advantages of reproductive health care.
Making school education free and obligatory till the age of 14, as well as lowering dropout rates among both boys and girls.
Bringing the country's infant mortality rate (IMR) down to less than 30 per 1000 live births (to be achieved by 2010 as prescribed when the NPP was brought out).
Lowering the maternal mortality rate (MMR) to less than 100 per 100,000 live births (to be achieved by 2010 as prescribed when the NPP was brought out).
India's Population Policies Have Changed
Even before India's independence, efforts were made to develop recommendations and solutions to the country's rising population problem. The efforts made both before and after independence are listed below.
Radha Kamal Mukherjee Committee (1940): In 1940, the Indian National Congress formed a committee led by social scientist Radha Kamal Mukherjee to provide answers to the fast-expanding population that began in 1921. To slow the pace of population increase, the committee suggested self-control, raising knowledge of inexpensive and safe birth control methods, and opposing polygamy, among other things.
The Journey Forward
The population problem is more than just a lack of awareness or knowledge. It is inextricably tied to poverty, societal standards, and cultural preferences such as the desire for male children, larger families, etc. An exclusive concentration on contraception and sterilisation will not result in successful population control measures, nor will a forceful and top-down strategy. Poverty reduction, women's empowerment, education and awareness, access to reproductive healthcare facilities, altering mindsets and cultural norms, and so on must be prioritised. Furthermore, proper steps must be taken to capitalise on the country's demographic dividend so that the population is not a burden but a resource in the country's rapid economic growth.