There is a growing awareness amongst the masses specially rural population about the benefits of family planning and print and electronic media has played a key role in this regard. Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Naseem Lodhi stated this while addressing a seminar on "Population and Development", here on Tuesday.
The minister maintained that a 5-year programme costing Rs 6,062 million was being implemented in the country for population welfare whereas Punjab government was also utilising substantial funds in this regard. She said that Population Houses would be set up at district level in the province and district coordination officers (DCOs) were acquiring land from the Board of Revenue for this purpose.
She said that the number of welfare centers would reach the figure of 1,500 by the end of this year and maximum health facilities would be extended to women during pregnancy. She said that male members of the society should also extend co-operation in the programmes of population welfare and play a positive role in population control.
In order to provide better facilities to the people, service outlets of population welfare department were being set up at tehsil level besides a number of re-productive health centers was also being increased, she said adding that 64 such centers were being established in the first phase, she added.
She said that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was taking personal interest in the programmes of population welfare. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Population Welfare, Kazi Afaq Hossain said the Punjab government was implementing solid policies in the population welfare sector and huge funds had been allocated in the new provincial budget 2007-08 for this sector.
He said that all out measures were being taken for population welfare in urban and rural areas. He said that 92 mobile service units are currently operating in the province and their number would be increased to 117 by the middle of current year. Khateeb Badshahi Mosque, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Professor Dr Abdul Hafeez, Amanat Rasool and Dr Nuzhat also spoke on the occasion.