Workshop

The family welfare programme has made some progress in increasing the availability and use of contraception. However, the fertility levels in the northern states, including Uttar Pradesh, are substantially above the national levels thereby offsetting the fertility decline in other parts of India. It is hence imperative to have a state specific population policy that focuses on developing a programme of action for a decline in fertility levels in Uttar Pradesh.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has aimed at achieving the replacement level fertility by the year 2016. To develop a robust population policy for the state a workshop on 'Population Policy for U.P. Identification of Issues and Challenges' was held on 2 - 4 March, 2000. The workshop was organized by the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare, Government of U.P. and sponsored by The Policy Project. SIFPSA provided technical support for the workshop and actively participated in discussions and presentation of papers on successful strategies implemented. The main objective of this workshop was to identify specific issues that need to be addressed to achieve replacement level fertility and work out strategies for the same.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Ram Prakash, Hon. Chief Minister, of U.P. who in his inaugural address emphasized that the population policy should be based on the real needs of Uttar Pradesh and should take into cognizance the socio-cultural diversity within the state. Hr desired that the population policy for U.P. should be prepared in 3 months. Mr. Sardar Singh, Minister for Family Welfare, while commending the efforts made by SIFPSA in integrating private and public sectors, stressed on the need for a population stabilization policy which is not only viable but will help in bringing state population indicators on par with all-India indicators. Mr. Ramapati Shastri, Minister for Health assured the participants in his valedictory speech, that the Uttar Pradesh government would ensure political commitment, which is a must for any programme to succeed. Mr.Yogendra Narain, Chief Secretary, Government of U.P. and Chairman, SIFPSA, chaired an interesting session on advocacy in which distinguished persons from the media were the panelists. Mr. V.K.Dewan, Principal Secretary, Medical, Health and Family Welfare, Government of U.P., welcomed the august gathering and introduced the family planning programme in Uttar Pradesh. Ms. Aradhana Johri, Executive Director, SIFPSA chaired a session on gender issues.More than a hundred participants from academia, demographers, social scientists, programme managers, policy makers and concerned citizens participated in this three-day meet and enriched it with their expertise and experience.

Twenty-eight papers were presented and discussed in ten technical sessions. A host of issues related to fertility behaviour, contraceptive use, MCH services, programme management, inter-sectoral coordination, linkages with the private sector, gender issues and advocacy, were thrown up and several achievements and challenges identified. After presentation of all papers, three working groups were formed to identify policy issues related to public sector, private sector and inter-sectoral coordination. The major recommendations of the working groups were to expand reach & improve quality of services, generate demand for services, involve private sector in service delivery, ensure community participation and take up advocacy at all levels. The group discussions provided valuable insights into policy issues and strategies to achieve replacement level fertility in Uttar Pradesh.