Krishna Singh
 Member Secretary
Conference of
District Magistrates
(11th April 2001)
proceedings
Government of India
National Commission on Population
Yojana Bhawan, Parliament Street
New Delhi - 110 001
Tel. : 371 0051, Fax : 371 7681
On 11th April, 2001, the National Commission on Population (NCP) convened a conference of the District Magistrates of 133 districts which were identified as demographically sensitive. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in these districts is above 3.5 compared to the national average of 3. There are another 197 districts in the country having TFR between 2.5 and 3.5 which also needs special attention in matters relating to demographic stabilisation. The chief objective for convening the meeting was to get feedback from DMs about the situation in the field particularly about the new initiatives and innovations being implemented and to sensitise the district administrations about the main factors having a bearing on human fertility such as female literacy, education, girls age at marriage, safe delivery for the mother, child survival, clean drinking water supply, basic sanitation facilities, child nutrition, immunisation etc. It is well accepted that the problem of bringing down the rate of growth of population encompasses all aspects of development and the issue of population stabilisation, therefore, becomes one of wider public concern. Ideally, it should become a peoples’ programme rather than remaining the concern of a few departments of the Central and State Governments.
In view of the wide disparities that exist in the fertility rate among the different States and even within the States among the different districts, it has become necessary to focus attention to the high fertility districts for achieving the medium-term goals indicated in the National Population Policy -2000. The national goal of reaching TFR of 2.1 for the country as a whole by 2010 will largely depend upon the success we achieve in bringing down the rate of growth of population in the districts presently having TFR significantly higher than the national average. The immediate task is one of covering the large gaps that exist in meeting unmet need for health care and family welfare services in these districts.
The NCP has requested the DMs of these districts to prepare District Action Plans (DAPs) with short-term, medium-term and long-term objectives. These DAPs will bring out the existing position about the infrastructure, human and other resources available and the existing gaps in them with a definite programme of action for covering these gaps within a given timeframe. If realistic DAPs can be drawn up and implemented with the involvement of village, block, district and State level administration and NGOs active in the field, the fertility rate in these districts can be brought down. A proforma devised by the NCP for preparing the DAPs is also included in the present volume.

The NCP plans to organise State level and regional level conferences of district and sub-district level functionaries and NGOs working at the grass-root level with a view to make population related issues more area specific.