Health Department organises state level function on World Population Day at Fazilka

Fazilka, July 11, 2013: According to census of year 2011, the population of our country is 121 crore, which is 17.07 per cent of total population of world. There is a need to create awareness among the people about its adverse affects, to control its rapid increase. 

These views were expressed by Madan Mohan Mittal, Health Minister, Punjab at Fazilka, while addressing at the state level function on celebration of World Population Day. 

He said, “The increasing population could create serious problems in the future for foodgrain, water, environment and houses and it is thus necessary to encourage the people for adopting the family planning in practical”.  With the present pace of increase in population, it is likely to touch 7.7 billion by 2020, he added.

Mittal said, “Every year July 11 is celebrated as World Population Day and the first such day was celebrated in 1987.  The main purpose of celebrating this day was to bring to the notice of people about the family planning techniques, methods and the targets for doctrines of equality.  He said, the foundation of this day was laid by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions of these issues”.

Giving the examples of giving the status to air as Guru, water as Father and earth as Mother, Mittal said, “But in case our population goes on increase with the present trend, then all these three things would be in danger.

He also said, “Nowadays the trend of migration of people from rural to urban is also increase with the result the state of affairs of cities is also becoming worst and cities are being crowded than its capacity. The increasing natural disasters can also be linked directly or indirectly with the increase of population”.

Mittal said, “The Punjab Government, is taking solid steps  to provide the better services to the people, by further strengthening the health services and in this context, the Health Department is recruiting 392 doctors experts in different fields and 602 staff nurses.  The government hospitals are being equipped with modern machinery to provide better treatment services at the minimum cost”.

Mittal further said, “For the 5 de-addiction centres being opened in the state, a list of 21 psychologist social-volunteers have been finalized and these will work as counselors in association with the psychologists working in the de-addiction centers. Under the movement started by the Punjab Government, to strengthen the Health Department, new doctors and additional para-medical staff apart from Medical Ayurvedic Officers are also being appointed”.

On this occasion, Forest and Labour Minister, Surjit Kumar Jyani said, “The increase in population like explosives is creating a stagnation in the development work as increase in population than the available resources is insignificant against the Centre and State all the basic arrangements food, housing, education, health services and employment”.

Jiyani said, “It is not only the government rather awareness among the people and the steps taken to control the increasing population at personal level, keep a special importance.  He admitted that no doubt the government is spending millions of rupees on the advertisement material which encourages the people  to control the population but the its results at the root-level are not appreciable. The theme for this year World Population Day celebration is to focus on adolescent pregnancy, so that every child birth is safe.”

Speaking on this occasion, Sher Singh Ghubaya, Member Lok Sabha also said, “It is our duty of our all to control the increasing population as because of this, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment like problems are increasing in our country”. 

Husan Lal, MD, Punjab System Corporation also highlighting in detail the activities of the health department said, to control the population, the vasectomy camps at the district level are being organized and ‘nukad’ meetings are being arranged to make the people aware about this”.

An exhibition on family planning was also organised on this occasion and the employees of health department, who have done remarkable work during the service were also honoured

On this occasion, Dr.Karanjit Singh, Director, Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr.Basant Garg, Deputy Commissioner, Fazilka, Charandev Singh Maan, ADC, Anil Sethi, President, Municipal Council, Dr.Baldev Raj, Civil Surgeon, Fazilka, Dr.Y.K.Gupta, Civil Surgeon, Ferozepur apart from good number of local citizens and officials of health department were present.