“Mission Parivar Vikas will focus on 146 high fertility districts in 7 states with high TFR.

 Under this, specific targeted initiatives shall be taken for population stabilisation through better services delivery”. This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare at a function organised by Jansankhya Sthirita Kosh (JSK) to mark the World Population Day, here today. Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State (HFW) also graced the occasion.Shri Nadda stated that Mission Parivar Vikas is a new initiative conceived by the Ministry with a strategic focus on improving access through provision of services, promotional schemes, commodity security, capacity building, enabling environment and intensive monitoring. Shri Nadda congratulated the team for undertaking micro-planning for these districts and developing need-based programmes to address TFR. The Health Minister also advised the officials to undertake half yearly review of the programme and correlate the achievements with time to gauge whether the programme is moving in the right direction or not. He stated that “We have enhanced the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the changing needs of people and have taken steps to ensure quality assured services and commodities are delivered to the last-mile consumers in both rural and urban areas.”

During the event, Shri J P Nadda introduced the new injectable in the public health system under the “Antara” program and launched a new software – Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FP-LMIS) – designed to provide robust information on the demand and distribution of contraceptives to health facilities and ASHAs to strengthen supply chain management.As a part of the new communications campaign linked to the rollout, the Health Minister also launched a new consumer friendly website on family planning and a 52 week radio show for couples to discuss issues related to marriage and family planning, which will be aired across the country. The Health Minister further highlighted the life cycle approach of the Ministry and stated that a continuum of care approach has been adopted by the Ministry with the articulation of ‘Strategic approach to Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health (RMNCH+A), bringing focus on all the life stages.

Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State (HFW), said that population dynamics have a significant influence on sustainable development. The changes in population growth rates and age structures are closely linked to national and global developmental challenges and their solutions. She further stated that the issue of population stabilization is so gigantic in its proportion that the government alone cannot address the issue and thus the collective involvement of NGOs, private sector and corporate sector shall play a pivotal role.Shri J P Nadda also gave away awards to the winners of the painting competition organised by Jansankhya Sthirita Kosh to create awareness regarding family stabilisation among young children.Also present at the function were Shri R.K.Vats, Additional Secretary & Director General, Smt. Vandana Gurnani, Joint Secretary, Reproductive Child Health Care and Smt. Preeti Nath, Executive Director, Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh along with other senior officers of the Ministry and representatives of development partners.