Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Nasim Lodhi has said that birth control rate would be further lowered up to 1.85 percent from 1.92 percent in the province, and mobile service units, satellite camps, male mobilisers and other resources would be utilised to the optimum level to achieve this goal.
Talking to a delegation of women at his residence here on Sunday, the minister said that population growth rate in Pakistan was much higher as compared to Bangladesh, Iran, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India.
"If baby boom is not controlled, our country will have not only to face residential problems but also those relating to food, education and health. "If we want to benefit from the fruits of economic progress, we will have to control the birth control," she viewed.
She further said that effective measures were being adopted at government level in sensitising the people about the negative effects of growing population. In order to apprise the masses of benefits of small family, mobile teams of the provincial population department were also holding camps at union council level, she added.
She disclosed that her department provided protection to as many as 34 lakh couples desiring to have small family during the year 2003-2004, besides provision of over 5 lakh injections and 8 lakh tablets of birth control.