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FERTILITY RATE DECLINEDIN MUSLIMS-SACHAR COMMITTEE REPORT
MUSLIM FERTILITY RATE DECLINED-SACHAR COMMITTEE REPORT According to Sacher Committee Report the muslim fertility rate
declined sharply in the last decade as against the rest of the population. The total fertility rate was about 4.3 before and now it is 3.6 in 1990's, a reduction of about 0.9 point. Dr Rakesh Basak one of the members of this committee emhasises that 37 per cent pf muslims use contraceptives against the average of 48 per cent.
The use of contraceptives amongst muslims is more in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh than among Hindus in these states. Data showed an average muslims prefer using reversible methods of family planning as compared to sterilisation. In fact fertility rates among muslims in some regions are quite low, while they are high for the Hindus in some other regions. Population in different regions are going through differnt phases of demographic transition and muslims are also going through this transitional phase.
Estimates suggested that muslim fertility rate as a whole would reach replacement levels by the turn of this century while non-muslims had done it about 15 years earlier. On the basis of these estimates, we can say that the muslim population share in the total population would stabilise at around 18 per cent to 20 per cent by the end of this century. The muslim community's fertility rate would come down even more rapidly with the increase in levels of education, levels of income and availiability of decent health infrastructure.
The most important aspect of this study is that it highlights how infant and child mortality rates among muslims are lower than that of SC/S's and other Hindu groups. This is due to lower bias in the distribution of nutrition among male and female child in muslims or we can say equality in genders given in that religion. The sex ratio's at different age groups are better among muslims and the incidence of low birth-weight babies remains among the lowest due to lower gender bias in muslims.
Poverty levels are higher and education levels are lower among muslims than among Hindus. Access to good child delivery and other health services are also relatively poor among the community and the muslim children are slightly higher risk of being nutritionally deprived than other Hindus.
The most interesting details highlighted in the report is fertility rates among muslims in states like Kerala, TamilNadu, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh are much lower than the fertility rates in some northern parts of the country for virtually al socio-religious communities. Dr Basak emphasised that there is no increase or decrease of fertility rates among muslims and Hindus but they are going thrugh different phases of the demographic transition.
Published: February 20, 2007
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