India was the first developing country to launch a national family planning programme, in 1952.
This included both contraception and social changes, which the socialist/communist government has focused on to create a society that encourages smaller families.
Also, land in Kerala was redistributed so that no one was landless. No family was allowed more than 8 ha and everyone could be self-sufficient.
This meant that larger families would be at a disadvantage.
Features of the Policy
The policy has involved:
Improving education standards and treating girls as equal to boys.
Providing adult literacy classes in towns and villages.
Educating people to understand the benefits of smaller families.
Reducing infant mortality so people no longer need to have so many children.
Improving child health through vaccination programmes.
Providing free contraception and advice.
Encouraging a higher age of marriage.
Allowing maternity leave for the first two babies only.
Providing extra retirement benefits for those with smaller families
Following a land reform programme, making having a large family a disadvantage.
What Effects This Has Had
Kerala's 34 million people make up 3.4% of India's population.
The population density of 819 people per km squared is 3x the Indian average.
However, the growth rate is India's lowest.
Kerala is one of the few regions in the developing world to have gone through the DTM as far as Stage 4, and it has social and demographic statistics closer to those found in Europe and North America.
It's GDP per capita is low compared with richer countries, but high against many other Indian states.
It's GDP per capita is $8,173, compared with the Indian average of $1,672 (2014)
It has the highest adult literacy rate of is 94% compared with the Indian average of 74%. (2011)