Updated on: Thursday, August 06, 2009
Erode: Several speakers articulated at a function organised to observe World Population Day said that educating the girl child is the best way to reduce or control population.
Speaking at the function organised at Nandha group of institutions, C. Ponnudurai, Member of Legislative Assembly from Perundurai, said educating a girl child would help achieve population control goals, as educated girls brought in awareness to families.
Educating the children would also help in fighting poverty, he added.
Doctors at the function said the theme for 2009 was 'Fight Poverty, Educate Girls', which was what the Wednesdays function was about.
All Government hospitals and primary health centres in the district were capable of performing family planning operations and added that on an average the Health Department performed 1,000-plus tubectomies and around five vasectomies a month said the doctors.
As part of the population awareness creation, the Department also conducted monthly awareness meetings in all the 14 blocks in the district.
Health Department officials said the districts birth rate was lower than that of the State and Country at 14.7 per 1,000 as against States 15.9 and Country's 23.1.
The districts population, as per 2001 census, stood at 25.81 lakh. The States was 6.68 crore.
World Population Day is celebrated on July 11 after the world population crossed 500 crore in 1987