Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

National Commission on Population Reconstituted

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has reconstituted the National Commission on Population (NPC). The Prime Minister is the chairman and the Union minister for health & family welfare and deputy chairman, Planning Commission are the two vice-chairmen of the NPC.

Its members will include 8 Union ministers and 7 Chief Ministers - both from demographically challenged States and from States where population stabilization has been successful (U.P., M.P., Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala and Tamil Nadu). Other members include: Presidents of 6 political parties (Congress, BJP, BSP, CPM, CPI, NCP); President, Indian Medical Association and Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecological Society of India; and, several specialists and prominent citizens including: Dr Leela Visaria, Dr Ashish Bose, Dr Meera Shiva, Dr Manu Kulkarni, Dr Bolin Khangoria, Dr H Sudarshan, Dr Mohan Rao, Ms Shabana Azmi, Ms Ilina Sen, Ms Viji Srinivasan, Ms Ruth Manorama, Mr T V Anthony, Mr A R Nanda, Mr Asghar Ali Engineer.

The NPC will review, monitor and direct implementation of the National Population Policy with a view to achieving population stabilization by promoting synergy between demographic, educational, environmental and developmental programmes. It shall promote inter-sectoral coordination in planning and implementation of population policies across Central and State government agencies.

The NCP will also facilitate the development of an active people's movement in support of the National efforts at population stabilization, with a special focus on demographically weaker States. To ensure its more effective functioning the Prime Minister has scaled down the size of the Commission, reducing it from the previous membership of 131 persons to 44 persons.