Localising strategies, making precision policy key to boost family planning in India

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Localising strategies to adapt to diverse needs and making precision policy is crucial to boost family planning in India, said senior government officials here.

Speaking at a roundtable hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) deliberated to strengthen family planning policies and programmes to align with the changing population profile in the country.

The experts discussed India’s evolving demographic landscape, marked by declining fertility rates and a continued need to expand access to quality family planning services.

“India is a diverse country, and this diversity demands precision policy making. Every block, every village, every region is different — each with its own social realities, needs, and challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. To deliver real impact, we must localise our strategies and design interventions that respond to what is happening on the ground in each pocket of the country. Precision policy making is not just desirable; it is essential for ensuring that programmes reach the people who need them most, in the way they need them,” said Dr. Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

“We must remember that family planning is not a woman’s programme — it is a family programme. This is why, alongside saas-bahu sammelans, the Ministry also convenes saas-bahu-pati sammelans to reinforce that husbands and wives must make choices together. When couples share responsibility and decisions, we move closer to what truly matters: healthy mothers, healthy babies, and healthy families. Partnership is at the core of real reproductive choice,” added Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, MoHFW.

The roundtable comes at a crucial time as India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen to 2.0, below the replacement level of 2.1, and millions of women continue to lack access to the family planning services they seek.

With unmet need standing at 9.4 per cent, this gap affects an estimated 47 million women, underscoring the importance of strengthening access, choice, and quality in family planning.

“India stands at a defining moment in its demographic journey. With current fertility trends, the focus must champion reproductive rights, choice, and the full continuum of reproductive health for all. This roundtable marks an important step toward shaping a future-ready, evidence-driven family planning agenda, one that places people, especially young women and those with unmet needs, at the centre of national policy and socio-economic development,” said Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative.

The discussions highlighted that while India has made significant progress, the family planning agenda remains unfinished. Sustaining investments and broadening the definition of reproductive health to include infertility care were pressed upon.

Participants also called for policy developments to guide future family planning strategies and priorities, while strengthening alignment among stakeholders on choice-based principles, irrespective of fertility rates.

–IANS

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