DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i01.038

Pages: 284-287

The North-Eastern region is experiencing a very high rate of population growth since 1951.This population pressure has resulted from high level of birth rates along with a falling level of death rates. The rate of growth of population in all the NE states is among the highest in the country. The rate of growth of population of the entire NE region during the decade 1971-81 was 35.9% as against 24.9% for all India. Again the decennial growth rate of population of various NE states during 1991-2001 although declined to some extent but remained as high as 26.21% for Arunachal Pradesh, 18.85% for Assam, 30.02% for Manipur as compared with 21.35% for all India. The size of population in the NE region as in percentage of all India has been increasing from 1.79% in1901 to 2.84% in 1951 and then to 3.57%, 3.71% and 3.74% in 1971, 1991, and 2001 respectively. This high of population growth is not entirely due to biological cause. A significant portion of the increase is due to the influx of people from outside the neighbouring countries and also from other states of Indian Union. (Source: Basic Statistics NER, NEC, 2002.) The increasing number of population in this region is now considered as a liability rather than an asset. Under this situation the rate of growth of occupation and wealth in this region cannot keep pace with this high rate of population growth creating problems of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty and inequality of income. Thus this rapid growth of population has a harmful effect on the rate of development achieved besides creating various socio-economic problems in this region. Family welfare programme includes conscious family limitation, where babies will born by choice not by chance and maintenance of family welfare at an optimum level by providing sound health sanitation facilities. It aims at promoting responsible parenthood with a two children family norm and the programme in Assam was started in 1956......