Population control: Govt to reduce growth by 2017
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KATHMANDU, FEB 04 - The government has come up with a plan to decrease the annual population growth of the country from the current 2.3 percent to 2.1 percent by 2017 through various measures of population control.
The projection is part of the 20-year Population Perspective Plan finalised this week by an expert committee under the Ministry of Health and Population, which aims at integrating the population control measure with a poverty reduction strategy.
The action plan primarily aims at balancing population growth as well as relating it with plans, programmes, and any developmental works that are undertaken in the country that will mainly focus on the progress of peoples’ living standard. This is being done so as to help in reducing poverty levels and increasing living standards, according to Padam Raj Bhatta, Chief at Population Division, which falls under the Ministry. Bhatta is coordinating the steering committee of the plan.
“We are having a final meeting of all sectors this week to approve the plan. Then, once it is approved, it will be submitted to the Cabinet within a month,” Bhatta said.
According to him, the plan got its final shape after a 14-year gap. It was jointly prepared by the ministry with assistance from the United Nations Population Fund.
In 1996, the government had formed a National Population Committee to that effect, but it remained defunct for almost two years. Subsequently, in 1998, the government revived the committee for the second time and entrusted the responsibility of the plan to New Era, a non government research organisation, but the committee went defunct again. While the organisation conducted overall research as per the agreement and submitted the plan to the Ministry, the plan itself was shelved.
Finally, after a 12-year gap, the cabinet meeting held on Jan. 6, the government revived the committee to give a final approval to the draft plan. The committee, chaired by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, also included Health Minister Umakanta Chaudhari, six population experts and members from other concerned ministries.
This plan proposes to answer the commitments expressed by the government in international forums, according to Praveen Misra, Secretary at the Ministry.
Posted on: 2010-02-04 11:24
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