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Spotlight on population control

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

For awareness: Students taking out a rally on the occasion of World Population Day in Puducherry on Friday.

PUDUCHERRY: Controlling population is key to alleviating poverty, gaining equality and reducing maternal mortality — this was the message the World Population day, celebrated on Friday, wanted to get across to the public.

The Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services and the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Puducherry branch, held a rally from Mahatma Gandhi Statue on Beach Road to commemorate the Day. Students of Mother Theresa Institute of Health Sciences took part.

The day, initiated in 1987 by the World Health Organisation, seeks to create awareness among the public of population control.

The theme for this year’s celebration was “Plan to beat poverty. Plan to gain equality. Plan to beat maternal death”.

“Awareness on the fact that increasing population not only affected the community and the nation but the world has spread among people,” Director of Health Dilip Kumar Baliga said.

The theme, which focussed on poverty alleviation, impressed upon people that irrespective of affordability, rise in population would exacerbate poverty.

Stabilisation of population was a key to poverty alleviation, he added.

“Population growth is a deterrent to equality and economic parity cannot be achieved unless population is controlled,” Dr. Baliga said.

The Day also sought to highlight maternal mortality. “The maternal mortality rate in the Union Territory is 18 per lakh pregnancies, the lowest in the country. The national rate is 345 per lakh pregnancies and the Government of India aims to reduce it to 100 per lakh pregnancies by 2012. We want to reduce the rate still further in the UT,” he said.

During the rally, students carried placards and raised slogans on issues highlighting the theme of the day.

Officials of the Health Department and members of IRCS were present.

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