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'Free contraceptives to boost population control'

Fri, 06/17/2011 - 12:20



Mumbai, June 17 (IBNS): Union Health & Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Friday that the government will be launching a scheme to make available free contraceptives at the household level in the target districts with a purpose of giving a boost to the population control efforts in this nation.

"The ASHA health volunteer would promote the use of contraceptives at the household level in targeted districts. Under the scheme, the Centre will make available contraceptives free of cost at the Block level, from where ASHA volunteers will pick up their supplies," Azad said while addressing at the the 53rd Convocation of the International Institute of Population Sciences in Mumbai on Friday.

Azad said, "The funding to the health sector is going to be increased from the present level of less than 1 per cent of Gross domestic product (GDP) to 2 to 3 percent of GDP during the 12th Fiver Year Plan (2012-17)."

He said that the 2011 Census have indicated that the efforts taken up by the government towards population stabilization have yielded results.

“We have succeeded in reducing both fertility and mortality rates substantially and increasing the average life expectancy of the Indian population,” he said.

The Union Minister expressed that the large regional disparities in demographic outcomes across the states of India is a major cause of concern for the country.

He said, "The Empowered Action Group (EAG) States which includes Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgrah, where 45 percent of India’s population resides, have been lagging behind the rest of the country in both fertility and mortality rate declines." 

Azad said that the Government is committed in providing quality and universal health care to the rural population through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). 



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