Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan today highlighted the importance of imparting good quality information and knowledge to people consistently for making any health programme a success. Speaking at the inaugural of a workshop on the occasion of World Population Day in Delhi, the Minister said the growing population is a cause for concern and containing it may seem like a daunting prospect. He stated that even seemingly impossible tasks, like containing population, can be made possible with good vision and proper communication with the common people. He cited the Polio Eradication Programme and emphasized how good communication about the subject made the programme a success. The Health Minister said the population has risen from 30 crores at the time of independence to over 130 crore and there are reports which suggest that the country will surpass China in the future. He said NationalDemocratic Alliance Government is committed to making health care accessible and affordable for all sections of society. He gave the example of Ayushman Bharat Scheme and said the government is laying a lot of emphasis on preventive and promotive health care. Our correspondent reports the theme for World Population Day this year is “ICPD@25 – Leveraging Partnerships”. The day is observed every year to highlight the importance of population stabilization which is a critical determinant of human development. This year’s World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Twenty-five years have passed since that landmark conference, where 179 governments recognized that reproductive health and gender equality are essential for achieving sustainable development.
