On 11 May, 2000 India is projected to have 1 billion (100 Crore) people and 16 % of world's population on 2.4% of the globe's land area. If current trend continue, India may overtake China in 2045 and will become most populous country in the world. While global population has increased threefold during this century, from 2 billion to 6 billion, the population of India has increased nearly fivefold from 238 million (23 crore) to 2 billion (100 crore) in the same period.
Bare facts:
| Every sixth person on the globe today is an Indian and by the turn of this century every fifth living person will be an India. |
| India adds about 10 lakh persons to its population every fortnight. |
| India is added one Australia every eight months. |
| By 2045 or earlier, India would overtake China as the world’s most populous nation. |
| 49 percent of the increase in India’s population is from four states – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and UP, (BIMARU states). |
Introduction
Epidemic of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/ AIDS) in India has emerged as one of the most serious public health problems in the country. The initial cases were reported among commercial sex workers in Mumbai and Chennai and injecting drug users in the north-eastern State of Manipur. The infection has since then spread rapidly in almost every district of the country. However, the overall prevalence in the country is still, very low, a rate much lower (0.75%) than many other countries in the Asia region like Cambodia (2.77%), Myanmar (1.99%), Thailand (1.85%).
In the recent years is has spread from urban to rural areas and from individuals practicing risk behaviour to the general population. Studies indicate that more and more women attending ante-natal clinics are testing HIV-positive thereby increasing the risk of prenatal transmission. About 85 percent of the infections occur from the sexual route (both heterosexual and homosexual), about 4 percent through blood transfusion and another 8 % through injecting drug use. About 89% of the reported cases are occurring in sexually active and economically productive age of 18-49 years. One in every 4 cases of AIDS reported is the women.
Such rapid spread of the epidemic across the country today is due to labour migration and mobility in search of employment from economically backward to more advanced regions, low literacy levels leading to low awareness among the potential high risk groups, gender disparity, sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infections both among men and women beside the social stigma attached to it. Although transmission of HIV through use of needles, razors and other cutting instruments in beauty parlors, hair cutting saloons and dental clinics is insignificant, lack of hygienic practices in majority of these establishments also poses a health risk to the unsuspecting general population who visit these places every day.
Discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) denies them access to treatment, services and support and hinders effective responses. There have been cases of refusal of treatment and other services to AIDS patients in hospitals and nursing homes both in Government and private sectors. This has compounded the misery of the AIDS patients. In the workplace there are cases of discrimination leading, on some occasions, to loss of employment.
The treatment options are still in the initial trial stage and are prohibitively expensive. There are fears of patients developing drug resistance and side effects if the therapy is not administered under proper medical supervision. There are instances of quacks taking advantage of the situation and promising cures and defrauding unsuspecting people who are infected with the virus of large sums of money. There is no vaccine.
Introduction
Blood safety is vital for the prevention and control of transfusion transmitted infections. Unfortunately, the blood transfusion service in the country lacks many vital resources like manpower, adequate infrastructure and financial base beside poor management of private agencies. There is a wide gap in quality of services, between various states and cities. The blood component production/availability and utilisation is extremely limited.
For quality, safety and efficacy of blood and blood products, well-equipped blood centres with adequate infrastructure and trained manpower is an essential requirement. Thus, a need for modification and change in the blood transfusion service has necessitated formulation of a National Blood Policy and development of a National Blood Programme. The supreme Court directive of May, 1996 has helped in phasing out unlicensed blood banks by May, 1997 and professional blood donors by December, 1997. Mandatory testing of blood for HIV along with Syphilis, Malaria Hepatitis B and C has helped in checking transmission of HIV virus through blood transfusion.
Introduction
Gender disparity manifests itself in various forms, the most obvious bring the trend of continuously declining female ratio in the last few decades. Social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and societal levels are some of the other manifestations. Discrimination against girl children, adolescent girls and women persists in parts of the country. The underlying causes of gender inequality are related to social and economic structure, which is based on informal and formal norms, and practices.
The access of women particularly those belonging to weaker sections including Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes/ Other backward Classes and minorities, majority of whom are in the rural areas and in the informal unorganised sector - to education, health and productive resources, among others, is inadequate.
The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The National Commission for Women as set up by an Act of Parliament in 1990 to safeguard the rights and legal entitlements of women. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1993) to the Constitutions of India have provided for reservation of seats in the local bodies of Panchayats and Municipalities for women, laying a strong foundation for their participation in decision making at the local levels.
India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments committee to secure equal rights of women. The Mexico Plan of Action (1975), the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (1985) where concept of empowerment was introduced, the Beijing Declaration as well as the Platform for Action (1995) and the Outcome Document adopted by the UNGA Session on Gender Equality and Development & Peace for the 21st century, titled "Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing declaration and the Platform for Action" have been unreservedly endorsed by India for appropriate follow up. Key among them is the ratification of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993.
However, there still exists a wide gap between the goals enunciated in the Constitution, legislation, policies, plans, programmes, and related mechanisms on the one hand and the situational reality of the status of women in India, on the other.
