With one-sixth of the global population residing in India, the country has been able to bring down the fertility and population growth rates with greater participation of women in governance at the grassroots and their increased access to family planning services, an Indian diplomat has told the UN.
Paulomi Tripathi, India's first secretary at the United Nations General Assembly, said during her address at the High-level Plenary Meeting on Commemoration of 25th Anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) on Wednesday.
Better health and education facilities for women, greater participation of women in governance at grassroots level coupled with enhanced access to family planning services have contributed to rapid fall in the fertility rate and population growth rate in India, she said.
Noting that maternal and child health has remained a priority for the Indian government, Tripathi said substantial reduction in maternal and infant mortality have been achieved by incentivising institutional deliveries, new-born health care and family planning.
India's commitment to the ICPD and its Programme of Action remains firm. It is evident in the policies and programmes in the context of SDG implementation," she said.
"An integrated, service-oriented approach in line with the ICPD Programme of Action, continue to guide our actions towards fulfilling the needs for services and social protection, especially for the women, children, youth and older persons in pursuit of inclusive growth, she said.
The official said that this agreement that population policies should address social development, especially advancement of women, and that family planning should be provided as part of a broader package of health care, has enlarged the scope of policy discussions.
Explaining further, she said that underlying this new emphasis was a belief that enhancing individual health and realization of other rights would ultimately lower birth rate and slow population growth.
With one-sixth of the global population residing in India, she said rapid strides taken by the country in eradication of extreme poverty have been well recognized. India has a total population of 1.3 billion.
Financial inclusion and income security supported by innovative use of modern technology has also played a pivotal role in upscaling efforts to lift millions of people in India out of poverty, she said.
She highlighted several programmes, including National Health Protection Scheme and Clean India Mission, undertaken by the government to ensure social and economic growth.
She told the forum that as a 'young' nation, with half of the population under 25 years of age, India's focus is on harnessing this demographic dividend by creating opportunities through skill and entrepreneurship development and by using digital technologies to improve access to information and knowledge.
The holistic, service-oriented approach reflected in ICPD Programme of Action also remains relevant for addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in the context of urbanization and population ageing, she said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
