Report by Michael Rodrigues
Team Mangalorean Udupi

Udupi: The Udupi Zilla Panchayat in association with the District Health and Family Welfare Department, Sri Keshthra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, Udupi organized ' World Population Day' under the theme ''Small Family—Overall Development''(Kuhsali Ka Adar, Chota Parivar) here at Pragathi Soudha Brhamagiri, Udupi on Wednesday July 11.

Udupi zilla panchayath president Katapadi Shanker Poojary inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp.

In his inaugural message Shanker Poojary said, that the rise in population is an alarming signal, it is satisfactory that population here is controlled. Udupi is proud that it has enlightened public over' Population Problem' as much as everyone is aware of Pulse Polio Programme.

DHO Dr Ramachandra Bairy delivered introductory note and said that the rapid growth in the population has increased Indian population from 36 crore in 1951 to 121 crore in 2011. Every year 8 lac more people are added to the population, if this continues for another 40 years, the National Population would become 240 crores.

Udupi population is increasing in leaps & bounds. In 2011 it was 11,12,243 it has now reached 11,77,908. Men availing Population Control programmes has reduced considerably. Last year those who availed Family Planning were only 34 people. There is need to create awareness regarding female sex ratio in the district as Udupi district has recorded lowest female sex ratio in the state with 915 females against 1000 males, he added.

Vice President of Udupi zilla panchayath Joythi Seetharam Shetty presided over the function. Udupi City Municipality vice president Bharathi Chandrashekar, Dr. G Shanker, Government First Grade College principal Kumari C Ashwathamma, District Health Awareness Officer D Sathayanarayana, Director of Sri Keshthra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project- Udupi Dugge Gowda and others were present on the occasion.