GS1 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): Population Education | Geography for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail.  (UPSC GS1 Mains)

Population Education is an educational programme which provides for a study of the population situation of the family, the community, nation and world. The purpose of population education is to develop rational and responsible attitudes/ behaviour in the students towards population/demographic situations.
Objectives of Population Education are:

• It helps to understand how family size can be controlled as population limitation can facilitate the development of a higher quality of life in the nation.  
• To develop an understanding of the influence of population trends on the various aspects of human life – social, cultural, political and economic;  
• It helps to understand that a small family size can contribute materially to the quality of living for the individual family.  
• To develop an understanding of scientific and medical advancement enabling to get an increasing control over famines, diseases and ultimately death and the imbalance thus created between death rate and birth rate .

Measures to achieve the objectives:

India was the first country to explicitly announce its Population policy in 1952. The aim of the programme was to reduce birth rates “to stabilize the population at a level consistent with the requirements of the national economy”.

• The government launched the National Family planning program with the aim of controlling population growth in a socially desirable direction by reducing Total fertility rate to 2.1 (replacement rate).  
• The government has taken concerted steps to encourage use of contraception devices.  
• The government has launched the National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) under which clients are insured in the eventualities of deaths, complications and failures following sterilization.  
• Accreditation of NGO facilities to increase the provider base for family planning services.  
• The government is also utilizing ASHA workers to provide delivery of contraceptives and educate people in rural and urban areas about family planning.  
• School curriculum has been designed to educate children regarding advantages of small family, reproductive biology, etc. to make positive change in attitude of children.

India is projected to become the most populous nation by 2027 overtaking China. This huge population can become a bane if not engaged properly. So, it is imperative for the policy makers to adopt population education initiatives to devise policies and educate people about them to ensure that this huge population remains as an asset.

Topics covered - Population, Human Geography.