ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday linked economic growth, literacy, and provision of health and infrastructural facilities to population reduction.

He said the government had made huge allocations for the improvement of social sector.

Speaking at a two-day ‘Population Summit’ at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Mr Aziz gave details of the steps taken for the economic growth during the past six years. He said the country was facing a lot of challenges to arrest the population growth.

A large number of national and international delegates attended the function.

Mr Aziz said: “We would like to bring down the level of fertility rate through further improving our economic conditions.”

He said that any laxity in the birth control plan could put the country in trouble with receding infrastructural resources.

He stressed better education and health facilities to achieve economic growth at a a fast pace and arrest the population growth.

The prime minister said that the government was giving top priority to the empowerment of all sections of the society particularly the womenfolk.

He said to control population growth people would have to leave behind taboos and traditions for which the ministry of population planning was working in collaboration of religious scholars.

He feared handicaps like shortage of houses, water, transport, food and security issues, may surface owing to population growth in the next decade.

He called for awareness, education, cooperation and empowerment of people directly involved in pursuing collaborative approach rather than authoritarian or coercive methods.

After implementing a comprehensive structural reforms programme on a broad-based high growth trajectory the focus should be on social sectors to ensure quality education, health and clean drinking water as well as reproductive health.

He said: “Our policy to mainstream population at the centre stage of the national development agenda has started yielding dividends and achieved remarkable success in lowering of fertility rate but we still have a long way to go.”

Federal Minister for Population Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain highlighted the activities, achievements and future goals of the population department.

He said the population planning department was engaging 13,000 ‘Imams and Khatibs’ and had starting their training programme to advance the cause of the population control.