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Bengal chamber drive to tackle population problem

Our Bureau

CALCUTTA, Nov. 26

THE Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI), which is 146-years-old, is now giving the final touches to a population control plan that it proposes to implement at the community level, starting from the ranks of its member-companies.

Pointing out that migrant population from the neighbouring countries as well as States was threatening to make West Bengal the most densely populated area in the world, BCCI sources said that an initiative had been taken to tackle the problem with the he lp of NGOs and the State Government.

The programme is set to be launched in its entirety in January next. Its main components are a pre-and post-programme survey of the families that are to be covered and following it up with a compact `course' on information, education and counselling of t he families.

"While the main idea is to create awareness of the need for controlling family size, we will also provide birth spacing tools if the need so arises", the sources said.

In the first part of this programme, which is already underway, some of the BCCI-member companies would be involved. BCCI would go by the Indian Tea Association model, which had proved successful in the tea gardens in Assam and North Bengal.

Four companies-- Turnkey International Ltd (TIL), Philips Carbon Black Ltd (PCBL), Exide Industries and Duncans-- would be included in this stage. Employers in these companies would have to motivate their employees to have a family size of f our with a space of five years between two children. The programme has been launched in TIL and PCBL, whose employee strength is around 1,000.

In the second and, perhaps, the more crucial stage, the plan would be to extend the programme to the community-level. For this, the help of CARE, an internationally reputed NGO, has been enlisted. It would coordinate the efforts of four local NGOs, which have been entrusted with the job of carrying out surveys in two districts -- North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. Some areas of these districts that have been chosen for action are Barasat, Salt Lake and interior Kasba.

The State health department too is involved in this exercise. Posters, equipment and the primary health centres of the State Government are proposed to be utilised. The programme is expected to run for two years.

Giving the rationale behind the choice of these two districts, sources said that both shared a border with Bangladesh from where the State received the maximum influx.

West Bengal has the third lowest birth rate in the country, after Tamil Nadu and the lowest urban birth rate. But, it has a high rural birth rate-- 27.8 per thousand. The sustained flow of migrant population has negated its achievements in popula tion control, in general and in urban areas, in particular.

On present reckoning, the migrant population in West Bengal comprising unskilled workers has been estimated at around two crore. Since they are not included in any census as they are not citizens, the population figure is expected to be off the mark by t his number even in the coming census. The fertility rate of thee `unsettled population', who rove between their native country and this State, has pushed up the man-to-land ratio in West Bengal, besides bringing the entire system under pressure.