ABSTRACT
The task is rendered additionally difficult by the confidentiality that envelops most decisions—even those that appear to be simple and innocuous. Policy analysis, moreover, is not well developed in India. The approach recommended by experts in this relatively new field is to clearly identify the problem, systematically consider alternative solutions and issues of cost effectiveness and, finally, work out in detail an overall strategy. The problem of low acceptance of birth control pills by Indian women is commonly attributed to the alleged inability of the average rural Indian woman to manage the necessary regimen. Policy making in India in the area of health and population also displays distinctive characteristics that are both persistent and deep rooted. The Indian family planning program, while it regularly, and perhaps somewhat ritualistically, calls for "grass roots" involvement and for a "people's movement" in support of birth control, stands as one of the most rigidly centralized programs in Asia.
