The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Health and Family Welfare Adviser Dr AMM Shawkat Ali said yesterday that the government plans to reduce the fertility rate to 2.2 per cent from 2.7 per cent by 2010.

He was speaking at a press briefing on the occasion of the World Population Day 2008, which is observed each year on July 11.

Dr Shawkat said population increase is related with the fertility rate and if the rate could be reduced to 2.2 per cent the number of total population will stand at 17 crore and 20 lakh in 2020 and stabilize at 21 crore by 2060.

"Since basic needs and poverty reduction are related with population increase, we have to bring down the population growth rate at logical level", he added.

He told the press that a new initiative has been taken to provide family planning service and information to the people living in Char, Haor and Slum areas and to the floating population.

As the people of Chittagong and Sylhet are lagging behind in accepting family planning, he said the family planning programme has been strengthened in these two divisions in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Local Government Ministry and non-government organisations (NGOs).

When the adviser's attention was drawn to the excessive prices of birth reduction tools in the market he said the government would take proper steps in response to the appeal of the consumers.

He further said the government has built a stock of 9 lakh 23 thousand tonnes of food grains this year against 4 lakh 99 thousand tonnes of last year to meet emergency situation.

The adviser informed that government will recruit 5000 persons to fill the vacant posts of the Population Bureau.

Among others, AKM Zafar Ullah Khan, Secretary of Ministry of Health and Ministry were also present at the briefing.