Unabated growth

-- India is the second most populated country in the world. In 195 1,
the National Family Welfare Programme was
launched with the objective of reducing the annual birth rate, by
AD 2000, to 21 per thousand; the annual death rate
to nine per thousand; the annual growth rate at 1.2 per cent and
the annual infant mortality rate to below 60 per
thousand. However, these targets are far ftom being realised. The
Seventh Five Year Plan admitted that the approach
adopted in the programme was not successful and hoped to reach
that goal by AD 2006-2011. Keeping in mind the
present levels of achievement, the Eighth Plan visualises that
these targets can be achieved only by AD 2011-2016.