‘Family planning boosts women power, pillar of holistic devpt'
"The aim of family planning is not mere population control, but to build an empowered, educated and healthy society. This requires an integrated approach linking education, nutrition, women's empowerment and health. Such coordination is not possible without convergence across departments. The integrated development model adopted in Shravasti is a great example and should be replicated in other high-priority districts," Sharma said on Friday.
He was presiding over a workshop titled 'Empowering women through family planning: Advancing intersectoral convergence in UP'. Organised by Mamta Health Institute for Mother and Child, with support from the Gates Foundation, the event reinforced multi-sectoral collaboration to strengthen family planning services and accessibility across the state. The deliberations focused on enhancing the reach, quality and effectiveness of family planning services through stronger multi-sectoral coordination.
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Echoing similar thoughts, principal secretary, department of women welfare, Leena Johari said, "It's not 'you' and 'me', but 'we' that can bring true change. By linking family planning with women and child development policies, we can achieve sustainable community health outcomes. This requires joint efforts from all departments."
The event saw strategic presentations and expert sessions by director general of family welfare, Dr Sushma Singh, Prof Sujata Dev from KGMU and Dr Amit Kumar Yadav from Gates Foundation.
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