Govt’s latest: targeted population control

The ministry will spread Rs 280 crore over five years for the project that will cover districts in Bihar (4.5), Uttar Pradesh (4.7), Madhya Pradesh (3.7), Rajasthan (4.2) and Jharkhand, which are said to contribute the most to the country’s population boom.

The ministry has already sent letters to chief ministers and health and family welfare secretaries of these states, detailing the mega programme. An e-link will soon be established between districts and the Centre, with progress being directly monitored by the Secretary, Family Welfare.

The programme, however, will not cover other states in which only a few districts fall under the high fertility category: Haryana (Gurgaon), Uttaranchal (Hardwar), West Bengal (Uttar Dinajpur, Maldah), Gujarat (Dohad, Banas Kantha) and Assam (Sarguja, Dhubri, Goalpara, Marigaon).

Officials say this is the first time that the government is looking at each district as a ‘‘unit’’ and monitoring population indicators separately.

‘‘Though Census 2001 had identified only 58 of the 70 districts in Uttar Pradesh and 12 out of 22 in Jharkhand (as high fertility areas), we plan to include the entire states,’’ adds a senior ministry official.

Another first is the introduction of Urdu as a medium of awareness to reach a wider audience. To set the ball rolling, the Department of Family Welfare will publish its quarterly Reproductive and Child Health newsletter, in Urdu.

While the 10th plan has set 2010 and 2008 as target dates for UP and Rajasthan, MP, Jharkand and Bihar are slated to reach the goals in 2012, 2014 and 2016, respectively.

‘‘The CMP talks about replicating the success achieved by high fertility districts in other states, especially in the south,’’ says an official. Besides Delhi, seven states have managed to rein in the fertility rate, with Kerala on top with a TFR of 1.8.

According to ministry sources, the district collectors involved will act nodal officers for the project and form a District Action Plan. Some of the priority areas on their agenda:

• Thrust areas will be family planning, safe delivery and proper immunisation of children.

• Draw detailed district demographic profile and identify availabilty of health infrastructure, manpower and equipment to be identified through surveys

• Mapping villages covered under existing public sector health facilities, with performance indicators per facility.

• Ensure availability of quality family welfare services at government and private health facilities at district and block level

• Funds to be released for training, upgradation of rural health infrastructure and organise outreach camps.

• Engage professionals such as MBAs, chartered accountants and ex-servicemen on contracts for the project

• Involve members of panchayati raj institutions, NGOs, self-help groups, and charitable hospitals and trusts

• Convergence with departments of panchayati raj, women and child development, elementary education

Besides, the Ministry has also hiked the rates of compensation for sterilisation/IUD insertion in government and accredited private hospital facilities to Rs 400 from Rs 75.

Additionally, a package of Rs 100 per sterilisation or Rs 1000 per day—whichever is higher—has also been introduced for compensating facilities.