The Hindu : National : Population programme hit by fund cut

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 18, 2004

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National

Population programme hit by fund cut

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, JULY 17. As if the nearly Rs. 160 crore cut in the Union budget on the population programme was not bad enough, has come the news that the Bush administration has decided to block $ 34 million in the Congressionally approved aid to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) because of the alleged connection of the fund with coercive abortions in China. The move is likely to hit the population programmes the world over including India.

The UNFPA, which is the world's largest source of population assistance, has denied the charge. The agency advocates target-free, non-coercive approach to reproductive and child health.

The U.S. will withhold funds for the third year in a row to UNFPA. According to UNFPA, the $ 34 million could have helped prevent 2 million unwanted pregnancies and nearly 800,000 abortions; 4,700 maternal deaths and over 77,000 infant and child deaths in many countries. The funds could also have been used to scale up promising maternal health and HIV-prevention efforts.

India is one of the largest beneficiaries of the UNFPA funding for reproductive health. It is assigned $ 75 million over five years from 2003 to 2007 for its population programmes. The recently released census figures showed India as having a population of 102.8 crore in 2001 galloping at a growth rate of 1.94 per cent annually. From 100 crore in 2001, India has grown to an estimated 108 crore this year.

But the Congress-Led United Progressive Alliance has made budgetary cuts for nearly Rs. 160 crore for the Department of Family Welfare in 2004-05. There is reduction in funds for the free distribution of contraceptives, the new initiatives in the National Population Policy and for the programme for rural family welfare services that will affect setting up of comprehensive primary healthcare services at the grassroots level. While nearly Rs. 160 crore has been deducted from these heads, the new government has raised the assistance for the programme on immunisation and eradication of polio by Rs. 196 crore.

Reacting to the U.S. Government's move, the Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India, A.R. Nanda, said the cuts would hit the population programme. Already funding from the U.S. was dwindling. "`The reduction in U.S. assistance to the UNFPA will affect Asian and African countries which are struggling to improve women's health.''

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