India is passing through a critical stage in its demographic transition from a high fertility and mortality stage into a low fertility and mortality situation. The experience elsewhere has shown that the process of demographic stabilization in populous countries like India may take many decades even after achieving the population replacement level TFR 2.1. Though the census 2001 has shown that on the average the country is entering the phase of declining fertility, there is considerable diversity in the demographic scenario prevailing in the country. While eight States and UTs accounting for about 11% of the country's population have already achieved the replacement level TFR 2.1, another 11 States constituting about 44% of the population are likely to do so by the year 2010. In a few of the States in the second category there is a necessity to implement the population stabilization programmes more vigorously to avoid a situation of not achieving the TFR level 2.1 by 2010. However, the main thrust of the population stabilization programmes in the next two decades have to be in the remaining 16 States and UTs which account for the remaining 45 per cent of the country's present population. These States are not likely to reach the replacement level fertility for varying periods beyond the year 2010. This group includes many populous States having comparatively poor social and demographic indicators and infrastructural and human resource gaps.

Despite increased allocations for family planning programme over the years, there has been no noticeable increase in the couple protection rate in the high growth States recently. The large increase in the number of couples entering the reproductive age group every year in these States more than neutralizes the impact of family planning programmes on fertility. This has resulted in the level of unmet needs for contraception remaining very high in these States. The immediate task of fully meeting the unmet needs for contraception emphasized in the National Population Policy still remains to be tackled. Each State has to devise its own area specific strategies for fulfilling this task. The experience of other States have shown that successful population stabilization programmes can be implemented within the democratic framework and without any coercion whatsoever, even when some social and economic factors remain unfavourable.

The Conference of State Population Commissions / Councils organized by the NCP on 25th September, 2002 has given an occasion for exchange of ideas and information and an opportunity to draw upon the experience and models adopted by more successful States. The NCP is bringing out this publication with the hope that it will give an overall picture of the population problem facing the country now and suggestions about the direction in which immediate action has to be taken so that the national goal of moving towards a stable population is facilitated.