New Delhi, Jul 11 (IANS): Highlighting that one-fifth of the global population resides in India, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Thursday stressed the need to reaffirm and recommit to work towards population stabilisation.

Addressing a virtual meeting with State/UTs the minister called on Centre and States "to collectively work to ensure that women can exercise their right to make family planning choices".

"The goal of Viksit Bharat can only be achieved when the health of India's families is well maintained which can be achieved by smaller families," he stated on the occasion of World Population Day.

Women should not be "burdened by unwanted pregnancy", the minister said, noting that "the objective of the family planning programme needs to be 'Birth by choice and by informed choice".

He also called on the Centre and States to collectively address the "unmet needs of contraceptives, especially in the high-burden states, districts, and blocks".

"Promoting healthy timing and spacing between births, achieving optimal family sizes, and empowering voluntary adoption of contraceptive choices are crucial for nurturing healthier and happier families, thereby contributing to our nation's brighter future," he stated.

Further, he also lauded 'Mission Parivar Vikas' (MPV), one of the successful schemes of the National Family Planning Programme, which was initially launched for 146 high-priority districts (HPDs) in seven high-focus states, and later expanded to cover all districts in these states and six northeastern states.

He emphasised the remarkable impact of the scheme and underlined the significant increase in access to contraceptives in these states and successful reductions in maternal, infant, and under-five mortality rates.

"Making districts as the primary focal point" helped in bringing down the Total fertility rate (TFR) in states, as well as in the nation, he said.

Cautioning states/UTs against getting complacent in these efforts, he stressed "to work towards maintaining low TFR in the States that have already achieved it, and work towards achieving in other States", he added.

The Union Minister also commended the tireless work and dedication of the healthcare and frontline workers and various line departments in reaching the last mile in spreading the messages of family planning and service delivery.