Udupi: Create Awareness on Need for Population Control – Vinay Kumar Sorake

Udupi: The Udupi Zilla Panchayat in association with the District Health and Family Welfare Department, Government First Grade College and Post Graduation Research Center Thenkanidiyoor, and the Rotary Club Malpe -Kodavoor organised the World Population Day here, at Thenkanidiyoor College on Saturday, July 11.

The programme began with an invocation by the students of the college. DrRohini, the District Health Officer, welcomed the gathering and said that the World Population Day, as the name suggests, is an annual day observed around the world to bring awareness about population growth and related issues. World Population Day was first started on 11 July in 1987, the day when the world population reached five billion.

“Every year the world population is growing at a very fast rate and on par to that India’s population will cross 240 crore in the next 40 years. Every year 1.55 crore population is added in our country with 8.40 lakh in Karnataka. With better medical facilities and schemes like Mother Child Health Programme and National Rural Health Mission, the infant mortality rate is on decline. The growing population has become a threat to our country. It has now become a necessity to control the population by spreading awareness on family planning,” she added.

Vinay Kumar Sorake, the district minister in-charge, inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp and also released the Population Control Information brochure.

In his message, Sorake said that population explosion gives rise to many problems. “The main problem is that of shortage of food and shelter. There is a lack of awareness on the effects of population explosion. Poverty, illiteracy, superstitious beliefs also led to increase in population. There is a need to create awareness on the need for population control,” he added.

Jayakumar  Belkale, the president of  Thenkanidiyoor  Gram  Panchayat,  presided over the programme. Gowri Devadiga (president of Standing Committee of Education and Health, Zilla Panchayat), Rotarian  Sudarshan  Rao (president Rotary Club Malpe Kodavoor),  Shobha S Poojary (TP member) and DrNikethana (principal of the college) were present.