Population, Economy Traditional

Table of Contents
1. National Population Policy, 2000
2. National Commission on Population
3. 15th Census (Census 2011): At a Glance
4. Population Data and Trends (2011)
5. Rural and Urban Distribution (1901-2011)
6. Literacy: Long-term Trend (1951-2011)
7. Sex Ratio, Social Groups and Religion: Key Points (2011)
8. Workforce and Occupational Structure
9. Vital Rates: Birth and Death Rates (per 1,000 population)
10. Concepts and Policy Implications
11. Conclusion
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National Population Policy, 2000

The National Population Policy (NPP) 2000 provides a policy framework for advancing goals and prioritising strategies to meet the reproductive and child health needs of the people of India. It links population stabilisation with improvements in health, education and socio-economic development and sets time-bound objectives.

Primary objectives

• The immediate objective is to address unmet needs for contraception, health infrastructure and personnel, and to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care.
• The medium-term objective is to bring the total fertility rate (TFR) to replacement level by 2010. TFR is the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current age-specific fertility rates; the replacement level is roughly 2.1 children per woman in most populations.
• The long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045.
• The policy emphasises that economic and social development should improve quality of life, enhance well-being, and provide people with opportunities and choices so they can become productive assets in society.
• To operationalise these aims the policy formulated 14 National Socio-Demographic Goals to be achieved by 2010 (selected goals listed below).

Selected National Socio-Demographic Goals

• Make school education compulsory and reduce dropouts.
• Reduce the infant mortality rate (IMR) to 30 per 1,000 live births.
• Reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to below 100 per 100,000 live births.
• Promote delayed marriage of girls and discourage child marriage.
• Achieve 80% institutional deliveries.
• Prevent and control communicable diseases.
• Promote the small family norm to achieve replacement levels of TFR.
• Constitute and empower institutions to monitor and guide implementation (see National Commission on Population).

National Commission on Population

• The National Commission on Population (NCP) was constituted on 11 May 2000 under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister to provide overall guidance for population stabilisation by promoting synergy between demographic, educational, environmental and developmental programmes.
• On 19 May 2005 the Commission was reconstituted and its administrative control was transferred from the Planning Commission to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Prime Minister remained Chairperson of NCP, and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare became Deputy Chairpersons of NCP. The Commission's membership was reduced from 131 to 44.
• Key initiatives undertaken by the NCP include:
• Reviewing implementation of the National Family Welfare Programme, especially in high-fertility States.
• Identifying high-fertility districts and preparing district action plans.
• Selecting socio-economic and demographic indicators for monitoring progress.
• Promoting policy-oriented research for population stabilisation.
• Encouraging public-private partnerships to meet unmet needs for family planning services.

15th Census (Census 2011): At a Glance

Population Data and Trends (2011)

• According to the Primary Census Abstract - Data Highlights (Census 2011), India's total population as on 1 March 2011 is 1,210,854,977, an absolute increase of 181.96 million persons during 2001-2011.
• During 2001-2011 India's population grew by 17.7%, compared with 21.5% in the previous decade.
• There was an increase of approximately 90.97 million males and 90.99 million females during 2001-2011. The growth rate of females (18.3%) exceeded that of males (17.1%) in the decade.
• By residence, 833.5 million persons (68.85%) lived in rural areas and 377.1 million persons (31.15%) lived in urban areas in 2011; more than two-thirds of the population remained rural.
• Population density rose to 382 persons per sq. km in 2011 from 325 in 2001.
• Child population (age 0-6 years) in 2011 was 164.5 million, a small increase of 0.4% over the previous decade.

Rural and Urban Distribution (1901-2011)

Literacy: Long-term Trend (1951-2011)

Sex Ratio, Social Groups and Religion: Key Points (2011)

• The national sex ratio rose to 943 females per 1,000 males in 2011 from 933 in 2001.
• The population of Scheduled Castes (SCs) was 201.4 million in 2011 (up from 166.6 million in 2001), an increase of 20.8%.
• The Scheduled Tribes (STs) population increased to 104.3 million in 2011 from 84.3 million in 2001.
• The number of literates in 2011 was 763.5 million compared with 560.7 million in 2001.
• Religious composition: provisional data showed the percentage of Muslims in India's total population rose from 13.4% (2001) to 14.2% (2011). The growth rate of the Muslim population had slowed in the period 1991-2001 (from 29% to 24%), but remained higher than the national average in that decade.
• State-wise and region-wise variations were evident: Assam recorded a notable increase in the Muslim share, while Manipur showed a fall. Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and West Bengal had among the largest shares of Muslims by population in the country.

Workforce and Occupational Structure

• The Census classifies workers into main workers and marginal workers; percentages of occupational categories among main and marginal workers indicate the dominant role of agriculture.
• Distribution among main workers (percentage shares): cultivators 26.44%; agricultural labourers 23.77%; household industry workers 3.4%; other workers 46.38%.
• Distribution among marginal workers (percentage shares): cultivators 19.15%; agricultural labourers 48.75%; household industry workers 5.03%; other workers 27.06%.
• Overall gender composition of workers in 2011: approximately 68.89% of workers were male and 31.11% were female. A larger share of workers lived in rural areas (about 72.36%) compared with urban areas (27.64%).

Vital Rates: Birth and Death Rates (per 1,000 population)

Concepts and Policy Implications

• Replacement level fertility: the level of TFR at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, typically about 2.1 in most countries. Achieving replacement fertility is central to population stabilisation goals.
• Demographic dividend: a period when the working-age population proportion is high relative to dependants (young and old), offering a potential boost to economic growth if matched by employment opportunities, education and health investments.
• Dependency ratio: the ratio of dependants (children and elderly) to the working-age population. Lower dependency ratios due to falling fertility can relieve public finances if accompanied by job creation and human capital investments.
• Policy focus therefore needs to combine family planning with investments in education (especially female education), maternal and child health, skill development, and job creation to fully realise benefits from demographic change.

Conclusion

India's Census 2011 and the National Population Policy, 2000 together highlight the progress and the remaining challenges in population stabilisation: declining fertility and mortality, rising literacy, greater female growth rates, persistent regional disparities in sex ratios and literacy, and a continuing predominance of the rural population. Policy success requires integrated action across health, education, gender empowerment and employment to convert demographic changes into inclusive economic gains.