Background on India

 

   India’s economic growth rate continued to climb, averaging about 6% from 1998-99. Although dropping a little in 2000, it was still around 5.8%, higher than many industrialized countries.

   According to the latest National Family Health Survey, fertility in India continues to decline, though not as rapidly as anticipated. The total fertility rate is now below 3 children per woman (2.9). Despite significant variations between states, nearly half of currently married women are using modern contraceptives. The unmet need for contraceptives is now estimated at 16%, down from 20% in 1992.

   Still, India is beset by the needs of a burgeoning population. With a total population of over one billion and growing by 1.8% per year, India adds some 17 million people to the global population base every year. Infant mortality remains high, averaging 72 deaths for every 1,000 live births. In some of the poorer states, infant mortality is over 100 per 1,000 live births – one of every 10 children born does not live to see his or her first birthday. Maternal mortality is also high, averaging just over 400 deaths for every 100,000 live births.

   An estimated 500 million people in India live in dismal conditions on less than one dollar a day. Many of the country’s big cities must cope with a proliferation of squatter settlements and slums, while millions live on the streets. In Bombay, some three million people live in slums, squatter settlements or on the streets.

   India is also experiencing rapid and unplanned urban growth. Three of its major cities are already in the mega-category, having more than 10 million inhabitants -- New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta. Municipal authorities cannot keep pace with the influx of migrants from the countryside and from smaller towns. Services in many urban areas are beginning to break down under the assault.


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