PRIME MINISTER'S APPEAL ON WORLD POPULATION DAY
The Prime Minister,
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee has made an appeal on the occasion of
World Population Day on July 11. In his appeal, the Prime Minister
has emphasized the need to achieve population stabilization and
take it up as a mass movement, as envisioned in the National Population
Policy. Shri Vajpayee pointed out that the uncontrolled growth
of population has become a hurdle in the way of the nation’s efforts
to achieve socio-economic growth and environmental protection.
Following is the
text of the Prime Minister’s appeal on the occasion of World Population
Day:
"People are
a nation’s most prized resource and the main pillar of its progress
and strength. The Government is committed to ensuring a better
quality of life for all citizens. However, uncontrolled growth
of population has become a hurdle in the path of India’s efforts
to achieve speedy and sustainable socio-economic growth and environmental
protection. India has 17% of the world’s population on a landmass
that is only 2.4% of the world’s area. Every sixth human being
is an Indian. Nearly 1.5 crore children are born each year and
it is our moral duty to ensure that all of them have access to
health and education facilities, and are able to grow up in a
fair, just and equitable system. For this it is necessary to achieve
population stabilization, as envisioned in the holistic National
Population Policy adopted in 2000. Growth of population beyond
sustainable levels is in nobody’s interest.
I appeal to people
belonging to all communities, and especially in States that are
lagging behind in this regard, to make the task of population
stabilization a mass movement by taking the following pledge on
World Population Day:
"Beti ho
ya Beta
Rakhen parivar
ko chhota"
