Bhubaneswar, July 11: The Odisha government is joining hands with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to conduct an awareness programme among people from vulnerable groups and communities in the state about family planning and population control.

Odisha health and family welfare secretary Arti Ahuja announced this at an event organised here to mark the World Population Day and the beginning of the world population fortnight. This year's global theme is vulnerable populations in emergencies. Due to several reasons, many people get displaced every year and these include women and adolescent girls.

Ahuja said that first, the women and girls from the rural and tribal hinterlands and the violence-infested areas would be included in the programme. "While women have been taking part in the population control programmes with enthusiasm, more men should come forward to make the initiative a success" Ahuja said.

She said the government would take the help of the community forums of fishermen, milk producers''federation and many others.

The observance of the population fortnight will continue till July 24 and several events have been lined up to mark the occasion and educate the people about population control.

Odisha health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the state government had set a target to bring 19 lakh people under the family planning programmes by 2020. "Our target will be to prevent unwanted pregnancy and stick to family planning," said Nayak.

"The population growth in Odisha has gone down to 13.97 per cent, which is lesser than the national rate of 17.64 per cent,"the minister said.

Accredited social health activists go door to door at villages and advise the newly-wed couples to use contraceptives. They also educate people to maintain a gap of three years between childbirths.

Sources said that in order to ensure contraceptive commodity security for couples, the health department had developed a programme named Reproductive Health Contraceptive Logistics Management Information System with support from the UNFPA, the development partner.

"This has successfully addressed the issue of contraceptive stock in all the 30 districts by strengthening the supply chain system. This innovation has been acknowledged by the central government and measures are under way to replicate this move in other states. This innovation has also found a place in the WHO-UNFPA Global Report in 2015," said a health official.

National health mission director Roopa Mishra said all should spread the message of family planning among households during the fortnight and even after that. Besides, the Odisha government has also started rewarding districts that have achieved good results in sterilisation programmes along with surgeons and the activists.