The Hindu Business Line : Population Commission in Health Ministry's fold

THE Planning Commission is back in the focus. After the controversy surrounding the appointment of foreign consultants, it is now the turn of the National Population Commission to move over to the Ministry for Health and Family Welfare.

A Cabinet note is currently being circulated for this after the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, reviewed the various initiatives taken to improve the health sector.

"Health is one of the priority areas mentioned in the National Common Minimum Programme and the United Progressive Alliance Government has already committed to increase public spending to at least 2-3 per cent of the GDP. A presentation of various health schemes was made to the Prime Minister and it was felt that since population and family planning are inter-connected, the Commission should be moved to the Health Ministry," said Government sources.Earlier, it was felt that since the Commission would have to work with various Government departments and Ministries, it should be under the purview of the Planning Commission.

"Over the years, the Commission became a monitoring agency as all the implementing infrastructure was with the Family Planning Department," they added.

The National Population Commission was set up on May 11, 2000 when country's population touched the one-billion mark with a corpus of about Rs 100 crore to check the fast growing population.

The then Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the Chairman while the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr K.C. Pant, was the Vice-Chairman.

Chief Ministers, Ministers of the related Central Ministries, Secretaries of the Departments concerned, eminent physicians, demographers and the representatives of the civil society are among the members of the Commission.

The Commission was mandated to review, monitor and give direction for implementation of the National Population Policy with the view to achieving the goals set in the Policy.