Population is a prime and significant element to form a state as well as an asset of a nation. But over population in comparison with land space is a big threat to the social development and principle obstacles in the way of advancement, development and enlightenment of a country. Population programs and activities are jointly a major part of development programs in every state of the world. Human beings are inseparable part of our society and society has a pragmatic and positive influence over its population. Therefore social influence as well as social partnership needs to be integrated to make a holistic approach with a view to creating spirit in sustainable population control programs and activities. Population explosion is a nation as well as a global concern and it was addressed nationally as a prime and first problem at post independence era in Bangladesh. Thereafter population control activities were rightly added to first five years planning’s since 1973-1978 to squeeze the population growth momentum by adapting plural measures both rural and urban areas. In the way of this succession, Family planning directorate was constituted in 1973 by the then government with a long standing missions and visions to combat the population explosion through pragmatic policy adaptation and co-ordination.

But lack of proper atention and efforts towards population control programs and activities nation wide by every government is truly unfortunate to us as well as to nation. Mean while, a ray of hope was seen in population program and policies, when an integrated and efficient commitee was formed at early of 1976 by the then government to compose a pro people and healthy population policy and finally it was drafted and approved by the then cabinet at the ending stage of 1976. In accordance with the policy frame work, population control program was rapidly advanced due to entire commitment and dedication of family planning workers to their services as well as to nation.

They have achieved some remarkable success knocking door to door from providing service delivery among the eligible couples.

Family planning contraceptive practice rate (CPR) was 8% in middle of 1970 and this practice rate was rapidly increased due to adaptation as well as to start implementation process 6 of population policy across the country.

Now this CPR (Contraceptive practice Rate) is around 57%. Equally, TFR (Total Fertility Rate) was 6.3 in the year of 1975 and was declined to 2.5 after 34 years of adapting population policy. Population growth rate was 3 (per thousand) in middle of 1970); now this growth rate has hopefully declined to 1.4 (per thousand).

These all are hopeful scenario in the history of population control by family planning directorate. But these successive outcomes have already failed to create harmonious development atmosphere within our society due to discontinuation population activities as per population policy.

In era of globalization, Bangladesh population has drawn positive-considerable atention of demographers, policy planners, social scientists and International aid agencies.

In global context, Bangladesh is now world’s eighth populas country with 149.4 million people (14 crores and 94 lac population) but occupying only only 3,000th part of the world’s land space.

Such a huge concentration of population in small land area can not but draw global atention only. About 1.8 (18 Lac people) million people are currently adding to its existing population yearly and such a trend will continue in next one decade and half.

Even if Bangladesh achieves 2 child family norm (that means TFR of 2.1 or NNR=1) by 2020. Bangladesh requires a visionary commitment to the nation in the field of population programs and activities to enrich family planning action plan and should turn its activities into social movement through active participation of different stake holders of our society.

China has achieved sustainable success on population disorders by adapting integrated and visionary population policy as well as introducing one child family norm with a state package benefit Now- a days China belongs one fifth population of the world. But their population growth momentum and population density are still quite less than Bangladesh population map. According to population analytical report of UNFPA, when China and India will have 700 and 310 crores of people respectively, their density of population will be equal to the present density of population in Bangladesh.

Keeping in view this demographic scenario, let us think how alarming condition we have in terms of population pressure.

Certainly, this hard core demographic scenario of our big population would create adverse impact on health, education, food security, habitation, sanitation, environment, poverty and unemployment The way of harmonious development of our society would be collapsed due to high redundant of population in our country.

Thus a sustainable as well as global out look population policy is rightly demand of time to the nation. Population policy was initially composed in 1976 but had no continuation with prolonged beter commitment

In the way of policy adaptation, another population policy was

Composed in 2004 in order to achieve Replacement level fertility and Neat Reproductive Rate (NRR) =1 by 2010. But the practice rate of this method among the couples is around 55.8% now. Keeping in view this above information, Replacement Level Fertility and NRR=1 has already been failed to achieve the above goal. So, a long standing, pro people with visionary population policy should be drafted along with demographers, social scientists and different stake holders of our society to include pragmatic measures within population policy frame work with a view to squeezing population map rapidly in Bangladesh.

I have some recommendations which might be considered or taken out by the government at the time of drafting and approving population policy. These are stated as follows—-

A good number of ministries are working with the government executive body to implement government’s planning’s and polices but no separate ministry is even now constituted to resolve this hyper population growth momentum which has already been identified prime and first problem in Bangladesh. Health and family welfare ministry is a major organic part of the government body and has been designed to monitor & implement for both health and Family planning programs and policies across the country. But unfortunate truth Family planning directorate is working without proper atention of the government in comparison with health wing. So Government should constitute a separate ministry on family planning programs, policies and activities in order to create dynamism in population control programs and activities. If this is possibly undone, at least a family planning division might be opened or restructured under a full flagged secretary. China has achieved a remarkable and meaningful success in population control with regard to reconstituting a separate entity like an individual ministry on planning’s and policies of population control and human development Indonesia has also constituted an individual entity like China to face the challenges of population growth momentum. They are positively advanced and achieved beter success.

National Institute of population Research and Training (NIPORT), a government body, was constituted with a view to researching on population programs, policies, training and planning’s as well as the way out for implementation. But this institute has now become dysfunctional and dead due to negative impact of unification or reunification of health-family sector once again by the government

So, effective and positive steps need to be taken to reconstitute NIPORT with national spirit and global facilities as a research and training wing of family planning division.

National population council (NPC) is the apex body of population programs policies and activities, headed by the prime minister, was designed to monitor and execute the GO-NGO activities on population. But we are unfortunate and deprived of geting proper atention and priorities from every chief executive of the state on population sector to resolve this national problem. The present government has passed more than one year in power but no national meeting or seminar was held by initiation of prime minister along with different and efficient stake holders of the society to enhance family planning action plan as well as population consizing activities. The sooner (National Population Council) it can be made fully functional and create enabling environment for other ministries to play their respective role as envisaged in the national population policy, the beterment for the nation. So, government needs to adapt plural measures in this regard with more atention and devotion.

Family Planning programs and activities should be kept on going with an individual philosophy and policy without making any unification of health-family planning sector by the government Integration or reintegration of family planning movements with the health sector must be an unwise decision which is certainly be declined the internal spirit of family planning movements in Bangladesh. 15 years have been lost in the way of counter political decisions in the field of family planning as well as population control and human development The whole nation has suffered immensely in this regard.

Population control is a prime national concern, an liberate arena and requires a holistic approach to combat population growth momentum from urban to rural in Bangladesh. The government is not individually feasible and viable to face the challenges of population magnitude and pressure on our land as well as our society. So, an intensive GO-NGO collaboration is highly required in order to make a stationary population in Bangladesh before our national goal. Every national-International NGOs in Bangladesh should have policy programs to open a separate wing on population-nutrition to face this national problem jointly otherwise this high population growth must bring social disorders in every singular branches of our society.

After inception of family planning department, Family Welfare Assistants (FWA) is providing basic and comprehensive service delivery among the eligible couples and adolescents from door to door, all over the country. They have pioneering roles and responsibilities to give away the messages among the 15 to 40 age groups of using local contraceptives and others measures to make two child family norm as well as to make a small size of

Population in our country. FWA (Family Welfare Assistant) was assigned officially to provide service delivery among 300-400 couples but with the passage of time and growth of population, the number of couple volume has become bigger and FWA workers are to provide service delivery among 1,800-2,000 couples now. This is quite a difficult task for a single FWA. So, a good number of FWA workers should immediately be appointed to provide home service delivery including contraceptives, medicine, injection as well as awareness on maternal and child health efficiently for beter outcomes.

These all are pragmatic outlines to combat population explosion. The government might consider these recommendations at the time of drafting population policy to make a stationary population as well as to turn the population into human resources.

The people of Bangladesh have started feeling the pinch for it’s over population. And various pressures have already been generated upon every branches of our society. Our society is facing plenty of social disorders with its 148 million people (around 15 crores people) right now. So, achieving population stabilization is early required for our existence. The timing of population stabilization depends on the time when replacement level fertility will be achieved. In our present population management context, if Bangladesh can achieve NRR=1 by 2016, population will be stabilize by 2070 at around 230 million people (23 crores people), followed by a stationary population in next 14-16 years (Stationary population means number of births will be equal to number of death and resultant growth rate is zero). The status of stationary population might be achieved around 2087 and thereafter the population will grow up to 250 million people ( 25 crores people). If we like to build up a poverty free, educated as well as knowledge based healthy society, government needs to take concerted efforts in population management strategies with more atention and devotion.

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