PREPAK critiques birth control policy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 13 2012: Asserting that the people of Kangleipak/Manipur need to observe the World Population Day by selecting themes suitable to the existing realities of the State, the proscribed PREPAK, referring to the theme 'small family, happy family' as quoted by the State Health Society Mission Commissioner Devesh Deval during World Population Day observance at the office of Family Welfare Services on July 7, maintained that the theme 'small family, happy family' is not appropriate for Manipur.

For India which constitutes one-sixth of the world population with the record birth rate of 5500 every day, it is crucial to control population explosion but it is not right for the tiny State of Kangleipak with a very small population to follow the overall birth control policy of India, the outfit contended in a press release issued by the outfit's assistant secretary, publicity and propaganda Leibakngakpa Luwang.

The objective of World Population Day is not necessarily controlling birth rate or reducing human population alone.

It also encompasses the idea of raising the living standard of all mankind, enable them enjoy their rights fully and promote preservation of natural resources.

Rather than imposing birth control measures on indigenous peoples whose populations are still very small, they must be encouraged to raise their standard of living.

In terms of ratio, the population of indigenous people has been only decreasing due to many factors.

As per the 2001 census report, the population of indigenous people in Manipur was 15,88,408 as against the immigrant population of 7,04,488.The population of Nagaland is greater than the population of indigenous people of Manipur by 5 lakhs.

Decadal growth rate of Kangleipak is lower than the average all India growth rate.

Given the much smaller population of the indigenous people, there is no need for any birth control measure for them, the outfit asserted.

Primary factors for the stagnating or decreasing population of the indigenous people is killing/death of youngsters, conflict situation, fake encounters, forced disappearance, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse etc.

In the face of such a situation which is not expected to transform in the coming years, there is no justifiable ground for the people of Kangleipak to go for birth control measures.

Moreover, the Government of India's family planning programme still remains a debacle even in its own soil.

Introducing and imposing such a botched up policy in Kangleipak is nothing short of destroying the future of the indigenous people, the outfit cautioned.

Birth control measures may be suitable to developed countries and developing and populous countries but these measures would prove suicidal for a nation like Kangleipak where HIV/AIDS has already taken a heavy toll, while on the other hand many revolutionaries are sacrificing their lives in the war of liberation.

Further the population of indigenous people is being depleted continuously in the form of killing innocent civilians by the Indian military, it alleged.

The family planning programme being advocated by the Government of India in Kangleipak is guided by a sinister design to replace the indigenous people with mainland Indians.

It is the collective responsibility of the indigenous people to defeat such agenda of New Delhi, it asserted.

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