The National Population Policy (NPP) is a comprehensive policy framework adopted by the Government of India on February 15, 2000, to address the challenges of rapid population growth and ensure reproductive health for all citizens. It is a concept and a policy document, not an act or a judgment. The NPP 2000 replaced earlier policies, including the first formal policy of 1976 and the subsequent policy of 1977, which had been marred by the coercive mass sterilizations during the Emergency period (1975–77). The problem it solved was the need for a humane, rights-based approach to population stabilization, moving away from the previous focus solely on contraception and sterilization.
The mechanism of the NPP 2000 is structured around three objectives: immediate, medium-term, and long-term. The immediate objective was to address the unmet needs for contraception, healthcare infrastructure, and health personnel, and to provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child healthcare. The medium-term objective was to reduce the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to replacement levels (2.1 children per woman) by 2010. The long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045, consistent with the requirements of sustainable economic growth and social development. Key provisions include guaranteeing free and compulsory education up to 14 years of age, reducing the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to under 30 per 1000 live births, and reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to under 100 per 1,00,000 live births. The policy emphasizes voluntary and informed choices in family planning.
The NPP 2000 connects directly to the National Commission on Population, which was established on May 11, 2000, and is chaired by the Prime Minister, with the mandate to review, monitor, and direct the implementation of the NPP. The policy also links to the broader National Health Policy of 1983 and subsequent initiatives like Mission Parivar Vikas (2016), which targets high-fertility districts to enhance access to contraceptives and family planning services. While the core NPP 2000 remains the central framework, recent years have seen the introduction of new contraceptives like Antara (injectable) and Chhaya (non-hormonal pill) under related schemes, and some states have proposed or enacted their own population policies with incentives and disincentives. The fundamental shift to a voluntary, rights-based approach has stayed the same since 2000.