International Institute for Population Science (IIPS) (nodal agency to conduct NFHS 5, as designated by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) released the fifth series of National Family Health Survey (2019-21), provides valuable information w.r.t. population, health and nutrition for India and each State and Union territories.
NFHS is the most comprehensive survey with valuable inputs regarding the parameters mentioned above.
According to NFHS 5 (2019-21), 26% of the total population of India, 2 is below 15 years of age (28% in 2015-16), which shows a decline in young people and an indicator of the country leading towards an ageing population.
The sex ratio of the population (females per 1000 males) improved significantly at 1020 females per 1000 males (991:1000 in 2015-16), which shows the effectiveness of steps taken by Governments, private organizations and civil society to balance skewed sex ratio. India is no longer a ‘country with missing women’, a term coined by Amtarya Sen.
71% of women now have received formal Education and can be said literate according to parameters laid down by the Government. Overall literacy has improved, but there’s a wide gap in literacy in urban and rural areas (83% of women in urban areas are literate against 65 in rural areas).
The total fertility rate of women (children per woman in her lifetime) dipped to 2 per cent (from 2.2 in 2015-16), doing away with the fear of population explosion. Infant mortality rate (per 1000 births) registered a decline at 35 from 40 in 2015-16.
These improvements show the effectiveness of measures taken by the Government to improve above mentioned social indicators. General Governments formulated various policy initiatives to improve their fellow citizens’ health, literacy, and standard of living.
For the health sector, Initiatives like Mid-day meal, POSHAN Abhiyaan (National nutrition mission), Nutri vatikas at Anganwadi centres, Food fortification of staple food (to improve nutritional value), free ration under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (during Covid induced lockdown), Public distribution system, for women empowerment, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao awareness campaign, Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts, Janani Suraksha Yojna, Matru Vandana Yojana and their practical implementation have contributed towards improvement in lives of citizens.
In the field of Education, steps like Improved school infrastructure, better teaching quality, NIPUN Bharat program, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan, Eklavya model residential schools (for tribal students), Right to Education Act, 2009 have helped to achieve targets set by Government.
Above this, various issues are plaguing our social sector. There is a huge Rural-Urban divide in literacy (male, female), infant mortality, access to Education and other essential services, sex ratio, gross enrollment ratio, contraceptives, etc.
More than 50 per cent of women and children of their reproductive age are anaemic. 1 out of 4 women in India is married before the age of 18. India ranks below Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar in the global hunger index.
Seventy-five per cent of families in rural areas can’t afford a nutritious diet in a country where grains worth Rs 50,000 crore are wasted due to inefficient handling.
Need of the hour is to focus on women education (while balancing urban-rural divide) to further improve nutrition, family planning and employability, diversifying mid-day meals, incentivize production of nutritious millets and cereals and their distribution via PDS to improve nutrition of children, increase the income of vulnerable groups including Sc, St, Obc, Farmers, Casual labourers to enable to live better life, reducing food wastage by improving storage and handling facilities,
