Rallies mark World Population Day

SURAT, July 12: The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Zilla Panchayat took out separate rallies in the city to mark the World Population Day. A number of programmes, emphasising the need to check the population explosion were held. While the yearly birth rate of the country is 1.70 crore and that of the state is 8.1 lakh.

Speaking at a function held at the New Civil hospital premises, Zilla panchayat president Harshad Chaudhary said population control was a task not of the government but that of the people themselves and the government would just act as a facilitator in the process. He also flagged off a rally in which Olpad MLA Dhansukh Patel, assistant director of Health and Family Welfare Ministry Dr G A Shah, officials of the New Civil hospital and others took part. A number of panchayat employees, teachers, students, and teams of voluntary organisations took part in the rally.

The SMC held six different rallies that were flagged off by the respective zonal heads of the six municipal zones. The rally organised by the zilla panchayat passed from the slum areas where literacy and family planning awareness are considerably low. A number of people watched the banners and the message with interest. On the other hand, the rallies organised by the SMC passed through almost all major thoroughfares in the respective zones.

`Janjagruti Abhiyan Rally’ as it was termed by the SMC was held at all the zonal headquarters. The municipal authorities had directed all the corporators, health workers to remain present at their respective zones and take part in the rally. Pamphlets, cutouts and other literature regarding population and birth control measures were distributed during the rallies, the statements issued by the zilla panchayat and the SMC said.