Stabilising population must for sustainable development: Ramadoss

New Delhi, July 11 (UNI) Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said stabilising population was critical for sustainable development and it could be achieved only by making reproductive health care and family planning service accessible to all.

Inaugurating the World Population Day Celebrations organised by Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh (JSK) here, Dr Ramadoss said 188 million couples require contraceptive coverage but more than 50 per cent of them were not using them due to lack of knowledge and access.

The Minister said India is the second most populous country in the world, sustaining 16.7 per cent of the world's population. By 2050, India's population growth will be higher than any country in the world.

He said the population could be a demographic dividend if every child born is healthy, grows up strong and gets educated, further adding that population projections were important because 51 per cent of the country's population was in the reproductive age group.

Of the total population increase of 371 million between 2001 and 2026, 187 million are likely to be added in the seven States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal, that is nearly 50 per cent of India's demographic growth.

About 22 per cent of the total population increase is anticipated to occur in Uttar Pradesh alone.

In contrast, the contribution of the four southern States, namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is expected to be 47 million, which is 13 per cent of total demographic growth of the country. More than 40 per cent of the population increase would be contributed by those who have three or more children per family, he informed.

Emphasising the role of female education, the minister said it has a direct relationship with the total fertility rate. Wherever literacy levels are high, fertility rate has been brought down. But where literacy levels are low, the fertility rate remains high.

He stressed the need to make special efforts to improve the situation particularly in the underserved areas.

Mr Ramadoss said the sensitisation programme will enhance there understanding of population and gender issues, importance of age at which one should get married, health of the mother and child and spacing between births.

The two days sensitisation programme for 500 young people from the underserved villages in eight States has been organised to familiarise them with population growth and other health related subjects.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi, Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Naresh Dayal and JSK Director Shailaja Chandra were also present on the occasion.

UNI