जनसङ्ख्या र विकास

Population policy is a set of deliberate measures, laws and programmes adopted by a government to influence the size, growth, structure, distribution and quality of its population so that it fits national development goals.

Population policies in Nepal's recent periodic plans

Nepal has treated population as a development concern since the Second Plan, and the recent plans link it to health, education, gender equality and migration.

1. Fourteenth Plan (2073/74 to 2075/76 B.S.)

• Aimed to bring the total fertility rate close to the replacement level by expanding family planning and reproductive health services, especially in remote districts.
• Promoted institutional delivery, skilled birth attendants and reduction of maternal and child mortality.
• Raised the priority of adolescent and youth-friendly health services and delayed marriage.
• Began preparing for the demographic dividend by focusing on youth skills and employment, and on systematic management of foreign employment and internal migration.

2. Fifteenth Plan (2076/77 to 2080/81 B.S.)

• Treated population as a resource: it set out to use the demographic dividend through quality education, technical training and productive employment.
• Continued the target of a low, stable fertility rate, with wider access to safe, voluntary family planning, including for adolescents and married couples with unmet need.
• Emphasised the needs of the growing elderly population through social security, senior citizen allowances and care services.
• Gave attention to balanced distribution of population and planned urbanisation, to registration of vital events and to use of the census and survey data in planning.

3. Sixteenth Plan (2081/82 to 2085/86 B.S.)

• Continues the focus on quality of the population, human capital and productive use of the working-age group.
• Plans for population ageing, with health, social protection and care arrangements for senior citizens.
• Seeks to manage migration and make foreign employment safer, while creating jobs at home so that youth stay and contribute.
• Stresses strong population data systems, inclusive services for women, Dalits, indigenous peoples and people in remote areas, and the integration of population issues into local planning.

Overall direction: from simple fertility control in the early plans to a broader policy of quality of life, human capital, ageing, migration and rights-based reproductive health.

Quality of life is the overall level of well-being of people, measured by how well their basic needs and aspirations are met: food, health, education, housing, income, safety, freedom and social relations.

Effect of family size on quality of life

• Small family (planned): Income and resources are shared among fewer members, so each person gets better food, health care, education, housing and recreation. Parents have more time and savings, women's health improves because of birth spacing, and the family is better able to save and cope with shocks. Quality of life is higher.
• Large family: The same income is divided among many members, which leads to:
  1. Poor nutrition and health: less food per person, more child and maternal illness, frequent pregnancies that harm the mother's health.
  2. Low education: parents cannot afford schooling for all children, and girls or later children often drop out.
  3. Poor housing and living conditions: overcrowding, little privacy and weak sanitation.
  4. Economic strain: low savings, debt and poverty, which can push children into early labour.
  5. Less parental care and recreation: less time for each child, and little leisure.
  6. Pressure on the household and community: more demand for land, fuel and services.

Thus family size and quality of life are inversely related, and a planned small family is a key route to a better life.

Rapid population growth increases demand for natural resources faster than they can renew themselves. Eight major consequences are:

1. Deforestation. More land and firewood are needed for farming, housing and fuel, so forests shrink, as seen in the Terai and hills of Nepal.
2. Pressure on land. Per-capita agricultural land falls, holdings fragment, and marginal and steep land is cultivated, causing erosion and landslides.
3. Water scarcity and pollution. Demand for drinking, irrigation and industrial water rises while rivers and groundwater are polluted and springs dry up.
4. Loss of biodiversity. Habitats are cleared and animals and plants are over-exploited, so species become threatened.
5. Soil degradation. Overuse, overgrazing and heavy chemical use reduce soil fertility.
6. Depletion of minerals and energy. Fuel wood, fossil fuels and construction materials such as sand, stone and gravel are extracted rapidly.
7. Air pollution and climate change. More vehicles, industry and burning of fuel raise emissions and greenhouse gases.
8. Unplanned urbanisation and encroachment. Cities expand over fertile land and forest, with waste and sanitation problems; people also settle in river banks and protected areas.

Result: environmental degradation, lower food security and a poorer quality of life. Sustainable use and population control are necessary.

Population policy is the set of plans, laws and programmes by which a government tries to influence the size, growth, distribution and quality of its population in line with national development goals.

Characteristics of Nepal's population policy

1. Linked with development goals. It is part of the periodic plans and treats population as both a resource and a challenge.
2. Voluntary and rights-based. Family planning and reproductive health are provided by informed choice, not force, respecting individual rights.
3. Focus on fertility and quality of life. It aims at a low, stable fertility rate near replacement level and better health, education and living standards.
4. Emphasis on reproductive and maternal-child health, safe motherhood and delay in marriage.
5. Gender equality and empowerment. It promotes women's education, status and participation.
6. Inclusive and balanced. It addresses disadvantaged groups and remote areas, and aims at balanced distribution through managed migration and urbanisation.
7. Multisectoral and participatory. Government, NGOs, local bodies and communities all take part.
8. Attention to ageing and youth. It plans for senior citizens and for using the demographic dividend through youth skills and employment.

National Issues of Population and Development in Nepal

The main national issues linking population and development in Nepal are:

1. Rapid population growth — high growth rate straining limited resources.
2. High dependency ratio — large dependent (child and elderly) population compared to the working-age group.
3. Unemployment and underemployment — growing labour force without matching job creation.
4. Poverty — widespread poverty linked to large family size and low productivity.
5. Low human resource development — poor education, health and skill levels.
6. Unequal population distribution — heavy concentration in the Tarai and hills, sparse settlement in the mountains.
7. High fertility and early marriage — early childbearing, especially in rural areas.
8. Migration and brain drain — large-scale out-migration of youths abroad and rural-to-urban migration.
9. Gender inequality — low status of women, son preference, and discrimination.
10. Inadequate health and family planning services — poor access in remote areas.
11. Adolescent and reproductive health problems — early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, STIs.

Description of any one: Unemployment and Underemployment

Unemployment means people who are able and willing to work but cannot find a job, while underemployment means working below one's capacity or skill, or for very low income. Nepal's population is growing at about 0.92% per year (Census 2078 B.S.), adding a large number of new entrants to the labour force every year. However, the economy is dominated by agriculture (which is seasonal and low-productivity), and industrial and service sectors are not expanding fast enough to absorb this labour. As a result, a large section of the working-age population remains unemployed or underemployed. This pushes many youths to migrate to cities or abroad for employment. The immediate effects are low national production, low income, poverty, and dependence on remittance. In the long run, unemployment wastes the country's valuable human resource and slows down overall development. Thus, unemployment and underemployment is a major population–development issue of Nepal.

Five roles active manpower can play for sustainable development:

1. Increasing production and productivity: Active manpower puts the country's natural and physical resources to productive use. Higher output raises national income and creates the surplus needed to invest in development activities.

2. Optimum utilisation of resources: An active, skilled workforce uses available means and resources efficiently and without waste. This keeps development within the limits of what nature can renew, which is the core idea of sustainability.

3. Creating and using appropriate technology: Active manpower develops, adopts and operates technology suited to local needs. Such technology raises efficiency while using less energy and raw materials, so growth does not damage the environment.

4. Developing infrastructure and social services: Active manpower builds and runs roads, irrigation, power, schools and health services. This infrastructure supports economic growth and improves the quality of life for present and future generations.

5. Conserving the environment and raising public awareness: An educated and active workforce plants trees, protects forests, soil and water, controls pollution and spreads awareness about environmental protection. In this way it balances economic progress with environmental protection and social welfare.