Not to be Published/Broadcast before 1st  August  2009

The tiny Himachal Pradesh has again shown the way, this time in population control, leaving some of its big cousins straddling way behind.  Adding another feather to its cap, the hill state has achieved the 'two children per couple' or total fertility rate (TFR) of two target, set by the Union Government in its National Population Policy, 2000.

What's more important is that the hill State has done it well before the deadline.  Although the deadline of 2010 is a still about a year away, yet Himachal has achieved the goal.  The State has scored the golden goal well before the final whistle is blown, says the report released by the Union Ministry of Health, Government of India.

Himachal Pradesh is amongst the ten states (Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) and three Union Territories (Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry) who has achieved the TFR target.

The reports say more than 75 percent villages have accessibility to the facility of a health sub-centre within a distance of three kms and 94.5 per cent villages have access to PHC within 10 kms.   About 80 percent of villages have sub-centres located in government buildings; 83.1 percent sub-centres have ANM; and 70.8 percent PHCs have at least four beds.

 Encouragingly, the awareness about various government health programmes is growing in the State, both in rural and urban areas.  The report says that the quality of family planning services too has improved. About 90 percent of unmarried women feel that family life education/sex education are important; those who are aware of the minimum age for marriage 96 percent and those who heard of HIV/AIDs 93.5 percent.

 The credit for this goes for the consistent efforts of the State Government to ensure better health care facilities to the people at their door-steps.  Amongst the three top priorities given by the present Government are Health Education and Roads.  More than 250 allopathic doctors have been appointed by the present Government during last year especially appointed in far flung areas of the State besides 88 ayurvedic doctors have been appointed during the period and process to appoint 87 more ayurvedic doctors is in process.  300 nurses have been appointed during the period besides filling up a number of posts of other para medical staff.  Today State has a network of over 3800 health institutions in the State and Government's endeavour is to provide specialized and better health care facilities to the people at their door-steps by strengthening these health institutions.

  Although the State has achieved the two child norms per couple, that also much ahead of the targeted date in the National Population Policy 2000, yet the efforts of the State Government are afoot to bring it down from this level.  State Government has launched a month long campaign 'Beti Anmol Hai' to create awareness about the girl child, which will also go a long way to achieve the objective.

One another factor which has contributed for adopting small family norms in the State is growing literacy as well as remarkable efforts of the State Government to expand the education network in the State.  The State's literacy percentage is much higher than the national average and highest amongst the state after Kerla.