‘Saas-bahu’ campaign expanded to stabilise population in state

Jaipur: To encourage women to adopt family planning methods, the saas-bahu sammelan, which was being organised in 10 districts of the state, has now been expanded to the entire state. Hhe health department is now specifically targeting couples who have two children rather than the couples who already have 4-5 children to promote population stabilisation.
The state health department has already achieved the target required for stabilising the population. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR), average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime, has reduced from 2.4 to 2.0 in the state in five years. It means that for the first time, the state's TFR is now below the replacement level at which the population exactly replaces itself from one generation to next. However, the health department will continue its work for spreading awareness on population control, officials said.
“We are now focusing on quality services delivery to the eligible couples by offering them better options for family planning,” said Dr Girish Dwivedi, project director (family planning), health department.
He said that the department is reaching out in rural areas to organise events at panchayat level to encourage people to opt for family planning methods.
The burden of family planning lies on the shoulders of women in the society. To address this, Dwivedi said, men who have undergone No Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV), a permanent family planning method, will be felicitated as “champions” at the health department’s purush sahbhagita sammelans (men’s participation gatherings) to be organised across the state. Such NSV champions who believe in and actively support men sterilisation, will be paid Rs 250 for sharing their experience and encouraging other men.
Records will be maintained of those men who opted for sterilisation after being encouraged for it at purush sahbhagita sammelans, Dwivedi said.