'Education key to combat population growth'

From Staff Correspondent
Shillong, July 24: Underscoring the importance of education and awareness as the core needs to achieve the objective of family planning in the State, Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) Chairperson Mee Kharkongor on Monday stated, “Let us invest in this aspect to stabilise our population through education and awareness programmes, along with greater involvement of men in reproductive healthcare.” She was speaking as a chief guest at the State Level Advocacy Meeting on World Population Day 2017 with a theme “A New Wave, a New Belief/Trust. Families Prosper with Total Responsibility.”
While lamenting the fact that there is a lack of proper education and awareness programmes vis-à-vis family planning, Kharkongor alluded to families in rural areas who attribute God as a reason for having seven to 10 offsprings. 
“The rise in population demands a strong mechanism to sensitize people on the adverse effects of population explosion in relation to employment, education, health issues and others,” she said  
The Chairperson also strongly emphasized on a proper family planning and having happier and healthier families with an exhortation that the families themselves must voluntarily take up the cause. She also said that female education in the rural areas holds the key in addressing the ever-increasing population growth, alongside greater involvement of male partners in the endeavours.
Mission Director of tiol Health Mission HM Shangpliang, while delivering his keynote address, stressed on the need to educate and empower people, especially the youth, on the importance of family planning through knowledge and awareness programmes. He also urged the younger generation to spread the message among themselves and also to rural areas so that people are made aware about family planning.
Highlighting the statistic related to population growth in Shillong, Shangpliang said that the population of Shillong in 2011 was 3.54 lakh comprising 1.75 lakh males and 1.77 lakh females. 
Stressing on the need to plan a family with responsibility, the official also expressed concern over the trend of teege pregncy and early marriage in areas outside Shillong.