Integrating population into development - emergence of state population policies in India

M. Ramakrishna Reddy, Independent Consultant

The interrelationship between population growth and development was clearly understood even before independence. The concerns about and consequences of population growth led to the integration of population as an important constituent in the developmental planning since 1952. Several national population policy recommendations and official statements down the times were wider in perspective and failed to address regional variations in population growth and development. It led to enormous population growth crippling the national development. Realising the inadequacy of a National Population Policy to serve the needs of the regional development, Ten Indian States have articulated state specific population policies within the frame work of National Population Policy 2000. To hasten the pace of population stabilization, the state policies have integrated several developmental issues into their population concerns. These policies represent intellectual foundations in regional planning, resources utilisation and implementation of the population and developmental agenda with a yearning for social advancement.