ABBOTTABAD, Sept 19: The district steering committee on birth registration has expressed its satisfaction over the increased ratio of birth registration in Abbottabad.

It has been noted that the birth registration ratio has shoot up to over 70 per cent after the launching of a pilot project the last year.

The committee met here at the District Government Secretariat under the chairmanship of DCO Rashid Ahmed.

The meeting was told that so far under the pilot project training had been imparted to the personnel of education and health, Nazimeen and lady councillors, NGOs and Nadra volunteers.

A public awareness campaign was launched throughout the district during which a large number of posters were fixed, handbills and brochures were distributed, and public rallies were held.  

Over the year, birth registration officers with the other district government functionaries have visited all the 46 union councils, 57 health facilities including civil hospitals, basic health  units and dispensaries, 41 education institutions and other public and private-sector schools. The total impact of all such activity has brought the birth registration from 20 per cent in November last year to 70 per cent till August this year.

Committee members lauded the progress achieved by the birth registration pilot project in a short span of time. The meeting was told that an award would be given to a union council registering maximum number of newborns.

Dr Zafeer Ahmed, EDO (Health), assured the meeting an all-out support to the pilot project of the health staff. He said the women workers were being given instructions to share their birth registration data with the secretaries of union councils.