This paper attempts to present an alternative approach for implementing the Family Welfare Programme (FWP) at the district level in India. Since its launching in 1952, the National Family Planning Programme has gone through several stages of adjustment in terms of strategies and approaches. But by 1991, the program has failed to address the increasing population growth. Although several studies have shown that most people want to limit their family size, the program has not been able to convert their interest and desire into effective demand. There may be long term causes underlying the poor performance of FWP in India, some of which are structural in nature. Therefore, the program should be restructured and revitalized through a major shift in policy perspective if effective results are to be achieved. These can be done by 1) having a separate organization for the FWP; 2) decentralizing management of FWP with district as the nodal point; and 3) having an area specific approach with marketing strategies to generate effective demand for family planning services. The new system would be a bottom-up approach and would concentrate on providing basic maternal-child health and family planning services. Furthermore, the success of the implementation of the proposed alternative approach model will greatly depend on some policy decisions on the part of the Government. Before adopting this model on a wide scale, it would be worthwhile to implement it in a few selected districts on an experimental basis.
