World Population Day is celebrated every year to make a pledge for raising awareness on issues related to population growth and their aftermath. This Day was first celebrated on 11th July, 1987 when the world population crossed the 5 billion mark. On 15th November, 2022, the total population of the world has gone over 8 billion which is quite alarming. This rapid growth of population is a huge burden on our already meager resources of health, education, livelihoods, etc.
It is highly important to make informed choices and establish family in line with your available resources. Consultation among both husband and wife for availing family planning services is a leap towards a prosperous future as birth spacing is imperative for mother and child health. The role of newly wed couples, in this regard, is of paramount importance.
On this World Population Day, we also have to make a pledge for socio-economic empowerment of women. An empowered woman can help overcome the challenges like population explosion, etc. Being fathers, brothers and husbands, the male members of the family, we have to protect the rights of our women family members.
Sustainable socio-economic development is the foremost priority of the Government of Punjab. This goal can only be achieved when we all strive to highlight the importance of a small and balanced family in our society. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab, in consultation with all stakeholders, government departments and development partners, Punjab Population Policy has been prepared which aims at equitable distribution of resources, sustainable development and provision of quality health and education facilities to the masses across the province.
The Population Welfare Department, Punjab is leaving no stone unturned in curtailing the population growth. Our Family Welfare Centers are providing safe, secure and trustworthy family planning services in every nook and corner of Punjab, free of cost. Our trained male and female mobilizers are raising awareness about family planning visiting door to door. Mobile Health Units are providing family planning services in far flung areas of Punjab. PWD has partnered with Ulema and academia to address negative stigmas associated with family planning and to raise awareness. To address the challenge of unmet needs of family planning, the PWD is focusing on targeted areas and providing family planning services over there. The Contraceptive Logistics Management Information System has been established to empower PWD besides certain IT interventions have been made in collaboration with PITB to collect data from grassroot levels.
All these efforts need citizen's cooperation to adopt a holistic approach in addressing the grave issue of exponential population growth. Today, on World Population Day, let's resolve to be the torch bearers of this awareness campaign and highlight the importance of family planning with regard to our prosperous future.