In 1974, the National Documentation Centre for Family Planning was founded at India's National Institute of Health and Family Welfare with funds from the government and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide reliable population information to policy makers, planners, administrators for program development as well as to academics, researchers, students, and social workers engaged in population issues. Data collected from states and districts by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are disseminated through publications. The Centre receives documents from other Indian research entities and from foreign bodies. The existing collection consists of 40,000 books and monographs, 10,000 periodicals and journals, 450 current journals, 2000 institutional publications, 1000 annual reports, and 5000 fugitive material items. A data base containing this collected material has the purpose of generating various publications, and full copies of originals are provided at request. WHO designated the Centre a resource center for primary health care information. It is a linchpin of the Asia-Pacific POPIN network. Requests are frequent for information on family welfare program management. Dissemination includes information packages, annotated bibliographies, synthesized information, case studies, and field experience reports. The staff includes subject specialists, communication experts, and software and management specialists. 54 health and family welfare training centers have been involved in information activities since 1985. Exchange of information with population research centers has started by means of computer networking. Local area networks are developed with science libraries of major cities. DELNET (Delhi Library Network) launched a resource-sharing effort of health and family planning libraries. The creation of a National Population Information Database is also planned by the establishment of POPIN-India.

来源：Asia-Pacific POPIN bulletin 1991 年 3卷 4期