Population Foundation Of India

The Population Foundation of India established the JRD Tata Memorial Awards as a tribute to Mr JRD Tata's vision for stabilizing India's population growth and improving people's lives. These national awards recognize states and districts that have made exceptional contributions to population and reproductive health, as well as family planning programs. Since 1997, the awards have been granted to deserving recipients in multiple rounds, based on their performance on important indicators and the progress they have made over time. The JRD Tata Memorial Awards celebrate and acknowledge the remarkable achievements of these states and districts in advancing population-related initiatives.

Population Foundation of India strategically engages policymakers, influencers, and media, providing evidence on population issues and promoting gender-sensitive and rights-based approaches. It analyses policies, advocates for family planning and reproductive health, improves access to services and leads initiatives like RCFP, ARC coalition, and media engagement. Its goal is to advance comprehensive, equitable, and prosperous societies, ensuring reproductive rights and informed decision-making for all.

Population Foundation of India's Community Action & Accountability program focuses on promoting agency and accountability within community-led initiatives. It works to empower youth, particularly girls and women, in participatory programmes that enhance the efficiency and accountability of public systems and service delivery. Through initiatives like Community Action for Health and hosting the Advisory Group on Community Action, it strengthens health systems, provides technical assistance, and supports community processes for accountability. Its work includes community mobilization and monitoring of health centres, strengthening reproductive health and family planning services, monitoring adolescent health programmes, and enhancing the management of patient welfare committees. It also conducts social audits to ensure transparency and accountability in programme implementation across multiple states.

The Social & Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) program of Population Foundation of India recognizes the influence of social norms on individual behaviour and aims to address issues related to reproductive and sexual health, family planning, and adolescent health. Through various media channels such as television serials, chatbots, and IVRS, the programme reaches out to women, men, and young people, providing them with information and empowerment. Notable initiatives include the transmedia program "Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon," the AI-powered chatbot "SnehAI," the digital campaign "Bas Ab Bahut Ho Gaya," the web series "Sex ki Adalat," the Saathiya Resource Kit on Adolescent Health, comic books on adolescent health, and the SBCC package "Yeh Kahani Badalni Hai." These initiatives have made a positive impact on individuals and communities, promoting awareness, behaviour change, and gender equality.

Population Foundation of India's Response to COVID-19 programme aims to counter misinformation and promote awareness about the pandemic. Collaborating with the Government of India and Facebook, it launched Phase II of the Behaviour Change Communication Campaign, addressing COVID Appropriate Behaviours, vaccine confidence, and stigma reduction. Through partnerships with state offices and on-ground partners, campaign materials are disseminated online and offline. It also creates COVID-19 content for Government platforms and develops short films, animations, and guidance notes. Working with state governments, NGOs, and media, it ensures widespread distribution and generates evidence of the pandemic's impact. Its efforts focus on informing communities, promoting behaviour change, and supporting the healthcare system's response to COVID-19.