The government has planned to launch an intensified population control campaign to increase by at least four per cent the existing 16 per cent contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) promoting permanent methods, officials said Thursday, reports BSS.
"Efforts are underway to raise the CPR to 20 per cent among the people who are using contraceptives . . . there is no alternative to permanent methods, which is secure, safe and suitable to male and female both," Director General of Family Planning (DGFP) AKM Amir Hossain said.
He said the campaign would be launched as his office was set to observe the Family planning service week - 2012 from September 22.
Bangladesh population grew to over 160 million from 50 million in 1960 while the sixth Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) reported that 38 per cent of total population was not using any contraceptive.
Family Planning Department organised the press conference at Information Education and Motivation (IEM) conference hall here Thursday.
He stressed experience sharing saying, "By sharing their experiences among their (the couple who have taken permanent method) friends, they can remove the misconnection of permanent method as well as inspire them to take suitable one for them."
According to the BDHS 2011, the total fertility rate-average children produced by a woman, has been brought down to 2.3 from 6.3 children per woman in 1971, but the rate needs to be come down to 2.0 children immediately.
The BDHS reported 38 per cent of total population is not using any contraceptive.
Through the service week the government wants to take this part under family planning coverage and encourage couples to take 'one child or two at best' to help themselves and others in staying comfortable in overcrowded Bangladesh.
Terming the excessive population as one of the major problems of the country, they emphasised the need for collective effort of all government and non-government organisations concerned to solve the national problem and said all quarters should be committed to this regard.
Director (Admin) of DGFP Mahbub Alam Siddique, Director of IEM Ganesh Chandra Sarker, and Director of Management Information Systems (MIS) Jahir Uddin Babor also spoke.
