India was amongst the first countries in the world to initiate action plans and programmes at a national level to attain total reproductive health as a social goal.

These programmes called 'family planning' were initiated in 1951 and were periodically assessed over the past decades. Improved programmes covering wider reproduction-related areas are currently in operation under the popular name 'Reproductive and Child Healthcare (RCH) programmes'.

Creating awareness among people about various reproduction related aspects and providing facilities and support for building up a reproductively healthy society are the major tasks under these programmes.

The present population growth rate in India is alarming. Such an alarming growth rate could lead to an absolute scarcity of even the basic requirements, i.e., food, shelter and clothing, in spite of significant progress made in those areas.

Following are some important ways to overcome this problem

(i) By raising marriageable age of the female to 18 years and that of males to 21 years.

(ii) By promoting use of birth control measures to motivate smaller families.

(iii) By providing incentives to couples with small families.

(iv) By educating people about consequences of uncontrolled population growth.

Diseases or infections which are transmitted through sexual intercourse are collectively called Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) or Venereal Diseases (VD) or Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI).

Though all persons are vulnerable to these infections, their incidences are reported to be very high among persons in the age group of 15-24 years. STDs can be considered as self-invited diseases because one could be free of these infections by following the simple principles given below

(i) Avoid sex with unknown partners/multiple partners.

(ii) Always use condoms during coitus.

(iii) In case of doubt, one should go to a qualified doctor for early detection and get complete treatment if diagnosed with disease.

In following aspects counselling should be provided at the school level

(i) Introduction of sex education in school that helps in eradicating myths and misconceptions regarding sex-related aspects.

(ii) Proper information about reproductive organs, safe and hygienic sexual practices and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

(iii) Awareness of problems due to uncontrolled population growth, social evils like sex-abuse and sex-related crimes, etc.

(iv) Educating people about available birth control options, care of pregnant mothers, post-natal care of mother and child, importance of breast-feeding, equal opportunities for the male and female child.

'Assisted Reproductive Technology' (ART) is the collection of certain special techniques. The primary aim of the ART programme is to assist infertile couples to have children through certain special techniques (like ZIFT, IUT, GIFT, ICSI, AI, etc.) where corrective treatment is not possible.