ABSTRACT
This chapter describes population control policies in India. After a brief discussion of Mahatma Gandhi’s and Jawaharlal Nehru’s population perspectives and their policy influence, this chapter depicts the development of population control policies through three periods. The first is a service-providing policy period between 1952 and 1961. During this period, the government policy started in a modest way and had little impact on the population growth in India. The second is an imperative and target-oriented policy period between 1962 and 1977 during which the government policy gradually tightened and forced sterilization was enforced. The period was ended with the ruling party’s defeat in the national election in 1977. The third is a voluntary policy period since April 1977 during which Indian population control policy gradually changed from an imperative and target-oriented policy to a comprehensive social development plan, although some targets have been maintained. The coercive measures have mostly been replaced by voluntary efforts, and population control has become indirect. With detailed population data, the chapter then summarizes and evaluates how the policies affected population growth and why economic development may bolster India’s population control.
