'Food supply to increasing population a challenge'

Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim said the district is facing shortage of labourers though the density of population in the district is much higher than the average density of population of the country.

He was speaking at a programme organised to mark World Population Day by district administration, zilla panchayat, Mangaluru City Corporation, Department of Health and Family Welfare, district police and District Wenlock Hospital in the city on Monday.

Ibrahim said the density of population is one of the important indices of population concentration. There is a need to relook into population scenario at the global level and sociologists should define the ideal population for the Dakshina Kannada district, he said.

With the rapid increase in population, the supply of food to the increased population becomes a challenge in a developing country. Apart from supply of food, there is a challenge of providing employment and housing facilities to the citizens of the country, he noted.

In her introductory remarks, Wenlock Hospital Superintendent and District Surgeon Dr Rajeshwaridevi said demand on food, fuel and drinking water could be managed only when population is controlled.

She said the birth rate is more and the death rate is less now. Raising the age of marriage, empowerment of women, compulsory education to female children would have an impact on controlling population in the country.

Felicitation

Dr Pundalik, Dr Deepak Rai and Dr Durgaprasad were felicitated for exemplary work in family welfare, including for conducting Postpartum intrauterine contraceptive devices, Laparoscopy and vasectomy surgeries on patients.

Health department staff Bhavani, Pushpa and Rudresh were felicitated for conducting education campaigns on family planning and convincing the people to undergo Laparoscopic and vasectomy surgeries were also feted.

District Health Officer (in-charge) Sikandar Pasha, MCC Joint Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak and Additional SP Vedamurthy were present on the occasion.

‘Control birth rate’

Population explosion should be prevented in the country, Additional DC Anuradha said.

Speaking at World Population Day programme in Udupi, she said controlling birth rate is need of the hour. There is a need to create awareness on decline in sex ratio and female infanticide, she added.

Udupi CMC President Meenakshi Madhava Bannanje presided over the programme.

Students of Dr G Shankar Government Women’s First Grade College and Asha workers took out a rally earlier, to mark the occasion.