EXTENSION EDUCATION
A large number of knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) surveys were conducted in the first two Plan periods to help the planners to gather data on knowledge of family planning methods, attitude towards them and practices. The rising rather than falling growth rate of population created a panic among the planners. Thus the Third Five Year Plan stressed the role of “intensive education, provision of facilities and advice on the largest scale possible and widespread popular effort in every rural and urban community” as a matter of the greatest significance. This paved the way for extension education approach. Under the new approach the main burden of the programme was to educate the masses by appointing an army of extension educators or change agents.
MASS VASECTOMY APPROACH AND THE USE OF COERCION
In 1965 Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) was introduced in the programme which produced good results initially but gradually the number of acceptors of IUCD started declining. Bleeding incidents and rumours were the main reasons behind its failure. Then during 1972-74 mass vasectomy camps were organized in different parts of the country and the incentive schemes whereby the couples were given incentive in cash and kind for adopting sterilization was adopted. A large number of males were sterilized in these schemes. At some places the approach appeared to be quite successful in attracting couples to family planning as it used incentives as well as group approach to family planning. However, the family planning programme failed to make headway and affect the figures of the growth rate of population. There were several reasons: patriarchy because of which males were unwilling to bear the burden of family planning; rumours; failure of the method in some cases; and fraudulent means to motivate people to adopt family planning.
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