Husbands line up for vasectomies after state nearly triples incentive to Rs 1,451. Is this the answer to our elusive 119-cr population problem?
Husbands line up for vasectomies after state nearly triples incentive to Rs 1,451. Is this the answer to our elusive 119-cr population problem?
In January 2008, after years of debate, the state and Centre doubled their incentives from Rs 550 to Rs 1,451 for vasectomy patients across India.
A year on, till September 2009, there was an 18 per cent rise in vasectomies in Mumbai and an unbelievable 226 per cent rise in Thane district.
The figures for other parts of Maharashtra Pune 25 per cent, Nashik 16 per cent, Ahmednagar 39 per cent, etc also reflected a hike.
Under the new scheme, the Centre paid Rs 1,100, while the state paid Rs 351. In addition, people who brought patients for a nasbandi got Rs 200. If the patient walked in to the clinic himself, he was paid the Rs 200.
In 2008, Mumbai performed 4,661 procedures against a target of 3,054.
This year, they have already crossed their target by performing 1,601 vasectomies till September against a target of 1,548. In Pune, 300 men got operated through 2009, compared to last year's 229.
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It is this cash incentive that has led to a rise in vasectomies, and family planning experts say, this could finally provide a solution to India's population problems. Most patients earn less than Rs 50,000 per annum and a Rs 1,450 incentive means a lot.
Anil Sharma (35, name changed), who works in a firm at Goregaon and earns just Rs 4,000 per month, was waiting to get his vasectomy done. "I wanted to educate my daughter," said Sharma.
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"I wanted her to go to a good school, but I couldn't afford the fees.
The money came inu00a0 handy," he said.u00a0Vandana Waval, branch manager with the Family Planning Association of India, added, "The money 'earned' made a difference to his daughter's admission."
In Pune, Khadki resident Datta Sawant (name changed), a government employee, was undecided about the operation until two years ago. But when a friend told him about his experienceu00a0 he decided to go for it.
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"I had apprehensions earlier. But then I thought why not, I had two children already. Plus it was good money and it helped me buy a secondhand bed my kids had been asking for."
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UP, UP AND UP: Most family planning experts say the cash incentive has led to a rise in vasectomies and that could provide a solution to India's population problems. |
Pointed out Vishwanath Koliwad, secretary general, Family Planning Association of India, "You see, a worker opting for such a procedure loses his daily wage and also has to pay a conveyance to get to the clinic.
These expenses are covered by the payout. Then, there has been a change in the mindset and the vasectomy is itself much simpler."
'Simpler procedure'
Added Dr Suhas Ranade, assistant director, state health services, "Vasectomy is a simpler procedure than tubectomy [for women] so naturally there is an increase in vasectomies."
Most experts say the payouts are one of the easiest solutions to control population growth.
The Chinese government has used several methods to control populationu00a0 explosion. In 1979, China started the 'one child per family policy'.
This policy stated that citizens must obtain a birth certificate before the birth of their children.u00a0
Citizens who did have more than one child would either be taxed an amount up to 50 per cent of their income, or punished by loss of employment.
In India, in the 70s Sanjay Gandhi initiated the family planning programme and set a quota for government officials and policemen which had to be met.
Consequently, there were several cases of forced sterilisation, some where unmarried men, political rivals and ignorant, poor men were also allegedly sterilised.
Two-Month drop in Vasectomies
A family planning officer from the BMC said that vasectomy numbers took a drop over the last two months ever since the state government froze the release of the additional Rs 351 to the BMC.
"We haven't been giving people Rs 351 since August because the state government hasn't released the money.
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We are trying to provide incentives from the BMC as vasectomy numbers have been dropping," said Dr Asha Advani, special officer, family welfare at BMC.
Voices
The increased incentive is one of the core reasons for the increase in the vasectomies.
Vishwanath Koliwad, secretary general, Family Planning Association of India
Naturally when there is an increase in vasectomies, there will be a decrease in the total population as has been seen in the last couple of years. In some districts in Maharashtra, the fertility rate or the number of children per household has been consistently dropping.u00a0
Dr Suhas Ranade, assistant director, state health services
Money is a factor that led to increased vasectomies. There is a lot of thought that goes into these decisions. Better services, promotions helped too.
Dr S J Kulkarni, assistant director, state health services
Hum Do Hamare Ek
Family planning programmes started in 1952, but in the 1970s family planning in India took a new dimension with the then Indira Gandhi-run government coining the term 'Hum Do Hamare Do' after the aggressive sterilisation drive fueled by her son Sanjay was panned.
While the policy was unable to check the population explosion, the then Minister of Health and Family Planning M L Fotedar had said in Parliament that he would rather revise the phrase to 'Hum Do Hamara Ek'.
Family planning programmes currently include saving the girl child as well as the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS.
370.50 cr
Union budget 2009-2010 allocation for family planning, up by Rs 14.48 crore from the previous budget
119 cr
India's population as of yesterday
133 cr
Population of China
2030
India will surpass the population of China
Hike in vasectomies between Sept 2008 and Sept 2009, after new incentive
Mumbai
18%
Pune
25%
Nashik
16%
Ahmednagar
39%
Thane district
226%
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