Yes, Family Planning Programme is Working in India

India suffers from the problem of overpopulation. The population of India is very high at an estimated 1.21 billion as per recent census in 2011. Though India ranks second in population in the world, it ranks 33 in population density. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, regime in the early 1970s had implemented a forced sterilization programme, but this programme failed miserably and also led to fall of the government during next election. Officially, men with two children or more were required to be sterilized, but many unmarried young men, political opponents and mainly poor men were also believed to have been affected by this programme. This program is still remembered and regretted in India, and is blamed for creating a public aversion to family planning.  This hampered also many Government programmes for decades.

As per the recent census, the household size works out to be for rural, urban and total population respectively is 4.32, 3.65 and 3.94.  From the average figures for all-India, one may comment that over four decades, people themselves have adopted the programme of having less than two children in urban areas.  Means normally is not on male sterilization as the same is not acceptable to masses.  Only in respect of rural areas, people need to be educated properly so that they also themselves adopt the policy of having less than two children per household.  As for the whole population, the household average size is less than 4, so broadly India has adopted the policy and that is why there is significant fall in the population growth rate.