New Indian Birth Control Plans

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31032, 12 April 1966, Page 15

New Indian Birth Control Plans

GV.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright) NEW DELHI, April 11. India has announced plans to spend over £7O million on birth control in the next five years and to step up food production in a determined drive against famine.

The new birth control campaign, part of a new five-year plan, is four times the size of that embodied in the five-year plan just ended, a Health Ministry’ report said.

India’s population of 490 million increases by 33,000 daily and the campaign to limit the increase is given high priority in the country’s battle against recurring food shortages. The extra money allotted will be poured into training people to help Indian women use the loop contraceptive device, which more than 10 million Indians are alreadyusing. One-year Plan The fourth five-year plan was due to be launched from month, but uncertainty over aid and foreign exchange resources has delayed settling the final details. A one-year plan has temporarily taken its place.

Chief ministers of the Indian states, meeting in New Delhi with the Agriculture Minister, Mr Subramaniam.

have fixed next year's grain production target at 97 million tons—lo per cent higher than last year’s record crop and nearly 25 per cent bigger than the estimated crop this year.