The Cabinet today decided to infuse life into the nearly defunct National Population Commission by shifting it from the Planning Commission to the Health Ministry. Since its inception in 2000, the 130-member panel has not had a single meeting.This Health Ministry proposal, according to sources, is a move towards population stabilisation of the country, as promised in the CMP. With the Prime Minister heading the commission and the Health minister and vice-chairman, Planning Commission, as the two vice-presidents, the panel will closely monitor the progress of population stabilisation programme. The panel is likely to meet at least once a year to make the programme more accountable.One of the first steps in the process of revival will be reducing the strength of the commission to one fourth its present size. ‘‘The move is to give more power to the commission so that the population policy can be streamlined,’’ sources said. Besides other members, chief ministers of all low performing states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa will be a part of it.The Commission has the mandate to review, monitor and give direction for implementation of the National Population Policy with the view to achieve goals set in the Population Policy. It can promote synergy between health, educational, environmental and developmental programmes to hasten population stabilisation. The commission also aims to promote inter-sectoral coordination in planning and implementation of the programmes through different sectors and agencies at the centre and the states.According to sources, the approach will be multisectoral and will include corporates, private sector and ministers from other concerned ministries, eminent physicians and demographers to make the population policy effective. ‘‘Those who are interested in population control can invest in the area and contribute,’’ he added. The coordination committee under the panel will facilitate involvement of other ministries — like the HRD, Urban Development, Social Justice and Empowernment and Panchayati Raj — on the issue of health and development.‘‘Population stabilisation has to be looked at holistically. We can’t control population if other healthcare indicators are not improved. Poor people will not understand the importance of population stabilisation,’’ the official added.
