Data must back population policy: Bommai

BENGALURU: BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi on Tuesday jumped onto the population policy bandwagon, saying it is high time that Karnataka followed the path of Uttar Pradesh and Assam in implementing a new population policy. He also warned of scarcity of resources if there is a population explosion. But Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Home Basavaraj Bommai told The New Indian Express that the policy is a matter of discussion.

“This is a policy matter and we need to take into account various variables. We will need to see data, if there is a need, consult with experts and only then formulate any such a policy. In fact, it is only after discussions with experts and depending on the outcome of such discussions will we be able to consider the next step,” he said.

Ravi’s warning over ‘population explosion’, however, seems contradictory to official government data.

According to the Karnataka Economic Survey 2020-21, the State’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) -- a measure by which population control is gauged -- stood at 1.7 in 2020. While the national target is set at 2.1 to be achieved by 2025, Karnataka’s TFR is on a constant decline from 2.5 in 1999 to 1.7 in 2020. It isn’t just about TFR, Karnataka is a well-performing State even when it comes to the adoption of birth control practices and sterilisation. 

“During 2020-21 up to November, total sterilisation conducted is 1,02,227 and achievement of IUD (intrauterine device) is 1,33,412. The percentage of couples protected is 68.7,” says a paragraph in the Economic Survey on Health and Family Welfare indicators.Karnataka’s birth rate per 1,000 population was 14.51 in 2019. TFR that was 1.8 between 2015 and 2016 has further reduced to 1.7 between 2019 and 2020. In all, 68.2 per cent of the State’s citizens have been recorded as currently using contraceptives “by any modern family planning methods”, the Economic Survey states.