The Punjab government will spend funds allocated for holding celebrations in connection with 'World Population Day' on the rehabilitation of flood victims in Sindh and Balochistan. Provincial Minister for Population Welfare, Ms Naseem Lodhi stated this while talking to newsmen, here on Wednesday.
Naseem Lodhi maintained that the provincial government spent a huge amount on the celebrations of 'World Population Day' every year. However, this year the government has decided to donate the amount allocated for this purpose for the rehabilitation of flood victims.
She further said the provincial government has already taken some steps for the rehabilitation of flood affected people and dispatched relief goods in the affected areas, apart from organising medical camps in the areas.
Naseem maintained that the Population Welfare Programme has played vital role in achieving the objective of population stabilisation for securing generation's future. Elaborating the theme "Men and maternal health" selected by the United Nations this year to celebrate the day, she said men could play vital role in a household to forge gender equality in all societies of the world. She called upon the media to raise awareness among males about population welfare related issues.
Later, she handed over keys of vehicles of MSUs to the incharge of doctors.
Moreover, speakers at different functions held in connection with 'World Population Day' said that public representatives, clerics, doctors, educationists, agriculturists and businessmen should promote population control programme. They said President Pervez Musharraf's government had also taken bold steps to control population and the population growth rate had gone down. However, a lot of work is still to be done in this regard.
They said Pakistan should follow Iran, Indonesia and Bangladesh's efforts to control population growth to achieve sustainable development. They also called for maintaining a rational proportion between population growth and resources to upgrade the living standard.
It may be mentioned that a research conducted by the Pakistan Population Council shows the number of working women has increased during the last few years although the number of male workers is five times high.
The report said women from the upper class were more aware of contraceptive measures and their uses then the women from poor families. The report said medical facilities for pregnant women had been increased but birth cases through untrained midwives were still common in rural areas that posed a serious threat to women and newly born babies.
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