Overpopulation in India: need to improve the quality and diversity of contraceptive optionsOn May 11, 2000, Astha (Faith) was born in the Indian capital of New Delhi.[1] His birth was not only an important occasion for his parents, but for the entire Indian nation. The birth of Astha has been designated as the official moment when India's population crossed the billion mark.[2] India was thus officially ushered into the very exclusive club of a billion people of a single nation, and the world was left to ponder the repercussions of such a development. Crossing the billion mark called into question all the policies, efforts and difficulties that the Indian government had implemented and fought for over half a century to prevent such a joyous event from happening. produce. India's family planning program, launched in 1952, was a sign of Indian leaders' desire to develop the nation and take the necessary steps to achieve it. The program has evolved over the years, meeting with varying degrees of success; However, by 2000, one aspect of the program became clear: it had failed to slow India's rapid population growth to population replacement levels. One of the main reasons India failed to reach the replacement rate was due to a family planning program that emphasized sterilization as the primary method of contraception and neglected temporary methods. The services provided by the program were of poor quality. If the Indian government can even hope to achieve its ultimate total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 across all its states and provinces, it must abandon its policy of sterilization as the primary method of childbirth...... middle of paper......could be a good alternative for women who forget to take birth control pills daily. The ring is inserted into the vagina where it releases estrogen and progestins. The advantage of the ring is that it can be inserted for three weeks at a time, eliminating the daily pill requirements of traditional oral contraceptives. The wide availability of such a method could have an effect similar to that of centchroman. Another contraceptive method, the female condom, could help alleviate cultural resistance to birth control. The female condom may increase family planning participation among couples who do not wish to use methods with more side effects, but whose male partner is reluctant to use condoms.[47] Government of India. Family Planning Department. National population policy. 2000. http://mohfw.nic.in/ppolicy.html.pdf