A meeting of Taskforce on Population Welfare was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz which reviewed the steps of population control.
Members Taskforce Nasim Lodhi MPA, Dr Nadia Aziz besides Secretary Population Welfare Dr Asmat Tahira and DG Population Welfare Naeemuddin Rathore were also present.
The meeting proposed that besides provision of family planning facilities, due importance should also be given to improvement of social and economic conditions as these had deep impact on population growth.
The meeting also decided that awareness should also be created in society for controlling early marriages while rewards should be given for adopting family planning. The minister directed the members of the taskforce to seek the support of Punjab Assembly members so that they could create awareness among people of their respective constituencies regarding importance of family planning.
She said that family planning should be an important element of policy-making at the government level, adding that besides acquiring the support of media, awareness programmes should also be arranged to highlight the significance of family planning.
Zakiya said that the draft of population policy would soon be presented in the assembly for approval. She asked the population DG to ensure sharing information between population welfare department and health department regarding family planning. She said that the private sector and NGOs should also be included in family planning programme.
