Financing the Population Control and Family Planning Programme in the Country

Abstract

The serial number 20A of the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India enshrines Population control and family planning meaning thereby that it is the joint responsibility of the Union Government and the State Government to administer it. Incidentally, neither the Union Government nor the State Government ever uses the word ‘Population control and family planning’ in its programme planning or in its budgeting to operationalise this functional responsibility of the Constitution. The lack of interest on the part of the governments has spawn a new version for ‘Population control and family planning under the nomenclature of Family Welfare losing in the process the strong and focused intention of the constitutional provision of population control and family planning. Even in this case, many of the state governments feel that since it falls under the Concurrent List, the funding of this item be rather borne by the Union Government on the plea that the financial position of the state governments is not good enough to bear the related expenditure. The funding of the family welfare programme has thus become Union Government’s responsibility. The ownership of the programme by the states in terms of sharing the cost of its implementation is not in place. The states have virtually played the role of implementing agents. The related role of the central government and the states of India in financing the family planning programmes over the areas, including its adequacy has been captured.