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The Impact of Structural Adjustment
Programme on the Acceptance of Family Planning Programmes in Nigeria
P. KASSEY GARBA |
Family planning is increasingly being accepted globally as a
necessary ingredient of socioeconomic development. Despite its importance, the
number of acceptors in Nigeria is still on the low side. This is in spite of
the increasing level of poverty amongst both urban and rural people since the
implementation of the structural adjustment programme (Garba, 1999; Taiwo,
1997; Garba et. al., 1997). Using randomly selected one hundred male and female
adult respondents in Abeokuta, this paper examined the acceptance of family
planning programmes and strategies, especially since the introduction of the
structural adjustment programme in Nigeria. The major findings show that
despite the high level of citizens awareness of various family planning
programmes, which is as high as about 92,8%, the level of acceptance of both
the modern and traditional methods is still below, 30%. Increasing level of
poverty due to the structural adjustment programme and other related factors
have done little to encourage the acceptance of the programme in Nigeria,
although it has certainly increased the awareness level. |
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Economic Returns from Agricultural
Support Land in Different Agro-climatic Regions of Himachal Pradesh
S. K. BHAL AND P. KAUSHAL |
The present study was undertaken to examine the extent of
agricultural support land, its share in rural household economy and to assess
the extent of dependence of local inhabitants on agricultural support land in
different agro-climatic regions of Himachal Pradesh. The results indicated the
average per capita agricultural and support land for the sampled farms worked
out to be 0.25 and 0.10 ha. respectively. In Kullu district, the dependency on
support land for fodder and fuel wood was estimated to be 92.50 per cent and
96.32 per cent respectively. The total fodder consumption per animal was
highest in Kangra district (13.84 quintals of green fodder and 6.57 quintals of
dry fodder). The use of fuel wood per household during a year was highest in
Kullu district (67.27 quintals) followed by Kangra district (59.54 quintals).
Timber use per household was maximum in Kangra district (157.39 cubic feet per
annum) and minimum in Hamirpur district (11.72) cubic feet per annum). The
returns from fodder per household per annum were highest in Kangra district
(Rs. 5,472) and minimum in Lahaul and Spiti (Rs. 2,968). However, Kullu
district recorded the highest returns for fuel wood and timber Rs. 4,033 and
Rs. 9,443 respectively. The share of support land in household in income was
maximum in Kullu district (47.69 per cent) followed by Kangra,(45.64 per cent)
and Hamirpur (39.19 per cent). Due to heavy dependence people on forest for
fuel wood, timber and fodder, it is suggested that all efforts should be made
for protection, regeneration and development of forests by actively involving
local people in planning and execution of forestry based projects. |
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Development Planning in
India: Anatomy of Past Experience and the Way Forward
V. K. ANAND
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India has almost gone through half a century of planning,
and has completed the first eight five-year plans and a few annual plans in
between. It has already been through the first two years of the draft ninth
plan (1997-2002), and within the next few years or so, preparations for the
tenth five-year plan would perhaps begin. This paper, therefore, looks at the
experience of development planning in India in terms of outlays and targets,
and the resulting performance in terms of growth, and even goes beyond to
analyze the overtime changes that have taken place in certain crucial economic
and social indicators that ultimately effect the quality of life of the Indian
people. The performance of the economy has, therefore, been judged both in
terms of economic growth and development. As an epilogue, it also briefly
reflects on the present scenario in terms of the Reforms (effecting a paradigm
shift in macro- management in early nineties) and their impact on the economy.
The paper presents a mixed picture, and comes out with some of the shortcomings
of the Reforms Process, and concludes that the magic has not worked, and there
is a long way to go. It suggests to correct the focus of the stabilization and
structural programmes and to devise an optimal mix of planning and the role
that has been assigned to the private sector, keeping in mind the needs of the
people, and also remembering that nothing much can be done to change the age-
old social, political, and administrative set-up that eventually dominates all
thinking. |
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Poverty Levels, Consumptive Habits and
Rural Welfare Schemes: An Enquiry Into Pondicherry Beneficiaries
K. UMASHANKAR PATNAIK |
Earlier studies on poverty exhibit to some degree the growth
of agricultural productivity to the persistence of poverty which is associated
with the pattern of consumption expenditure and addiction of alcoholic and so
on. However, a link between alcoholic habits and poverty levels is not analyzed.
This study attempts on this line comparing SC and Non-SC beneficiaries of rural
schemes. It is identified that habit formation is stronger in Non-SCs over SC
beneficiaries. The calorie-intake in both the groups is low due to high alcohol
consumption levels. Thus, inspite of income augmentation due to welfare
schemes, the rural poor could not be uplifted above the expected poverty
levels. Hence, habit-formation dimension should not be ignored while
implementing the welfare schemes |
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Income Status of Scheduled Castes in
Rural Uttar Pradesh
GURUPADA CHAKRABARTY |
In this paper we have analyzed data on income collected in
the NCAER / HDI survey disaggregated by population groups: SCs and Others in
rural Uttar Pradesh in 1994 to assess the relative position of these
communities in terms of level of income, income inequality, incidence and
intensity of poverty. As expected the results are not very encouraging.
The SCs in Uttar Pradesh constitute about 26% of the state population but their
share in income is much lower at 19%. Consequently they have Ii lower mean
income which is about two thirds of the mean income of others. A more
egalitarian distribution around this lower mean indicates to widespread poverty
among the SCs. Measured in terms of Head Count and FGT index, SCs have a
contribution of 34% and 36% in incidence and intensity of poverty in Uttar
Pradesh. This is much larger than their share in the state population. |
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Public Expenditure Programmes, Natural
Resources and Public Policy (A New Perspective on Policy Design)
N. NAGANNA |
Energy and other materials scarcities/shortages are the
inevitable outcomes of the developmental processes. Therefore, we must have to
learn how to do our planning and policy making subject to physical
constraints-energy and other natural resources. It calls for a new and
different kind of public policy. In a sense, this paper pleads for a paradigm
shift in policy-making processes. Mere empty slogans and target-fixing do not
as also should not make public policies.
Development is essentially built upon an ever depleting resource- base because
development means extraction and extraction means depletion. Resources are
finite and non-replenishable. Therefore, the fact of the matter is that growth
contains decay or in growth lies decay. Depletion and decay are, by nature,
inherent in the mining sector. The cognizance of this awesome reality
constrains policy-making machinery to consider sustainability as its core
instead of periphery as is the case now. |
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