Although the Indian Government adopted family planning as a part of Five Year Plans right from the First Plan on wards, this programme had many ups and downs during the last four decades. During the first three Five Year Plan periods it received the least financial support. Relatively more political commitment, supported by increased allocation of finance and seriousness in implementation of this programme was noticed subsequently up to the mid 70s. Nevertheless, even during this period financial allocation made for this programme was less than 3 per cent of the total budget of the Central Government. However, a sudden spurt in promotion of family planning programme was observed during the emergency period (1976-77), followed by an equally indifferent attitude to this programme during the period 1978-80. Subsequently from 1980 on wards, this programme received greater impetus. However, this programme continues to progress very slowly in India as compared to many other developing countries in the Asian region such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
In India, the family planning programme initially came into being as a uni purpose vertical programme fully financed by the Central Government but implemented by the State Governments. After knowing the problem of implementing this programme, it was initially integrated with maternal and child health programmes and later on with total health programmes and made as a part of the multipurpose programme. It has an administrative set up at the National Level (Department of Family Planning), State level (Department of Health and Family Planning), District and PHC levels. From the seventh Five Year Plan period on wards, for every 30 thousand population one Primary Health Centre has been envisaged to promote health and family planning at the peripheral level. Although we have a uniform administrative set up for this programme, it has been successfully promoted in certain states like Rajasthan. In all the other states this programme has been developed with varying success. The details of the differential promotion of the family planning programme in India can be seen from the succeeding sections.
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