Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the essence of India's population policy must be one of transforming people into social and national assets and asked parliamentarians to play an active role in this direction.
Releasing a survey report on 'Person-to-Person Advocacy with Parliamentarians on Population Issues,' Singh said, "Elected representatives at all levels must play an active role in educating people and raising their awareness on vital social and economic policy issues."
Stating that health and population policy was one of the areas of national concern, the prime minister said there was a vital link between reproductive health, the health of mother and child and the general health of the entire family. There are related challenges like that of HIV/AIDS, which impose an enormous social and economic burden on the country.
"In tackling these challenges, one of the biggest hurdles policy makers and social activists face is that of misplaced perceptions and ill-informed
The prime minister said the elected representatives should take a keen interest in the National Rural Health Mission to ensure its success. "An important message that we must get across to the people is one of hope; that problems at hand can be solved," he said, adding that Kerala and Tamil have been able to deal with such challenges more effectively than elsewhere.
"Learning from each other is one way of moving forward," he said.
"I would like to emphasise that a person may be regarded by society as a liability if he or she cannot be a productive member of society," Dr Singh said. He, however, said that a liability could be converted into an asset by investing in that person's education, health and skills.
"It is such investment in people's capabilities that not only enrich and liberate individual lives, but also contribute to national progress," the prime minister added.
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