Ushering in a women’s revolution

Satinder Pal Singh

Chhat (Zirakpur), July 20

Realising that the increase in population at an alarming rate may impact the growth of the state, the women at Chhat village near Zirakpur are adopting modern means of family planning with an aim to check its growth and improve the household economy.

Due to this, the village panchayat was honoured for keeping the population growth under check by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra at a state-level function in Mohali recently.

Resham Kaur is the only multipurpose health worker at the village. Accompanied by three ASHA workers, she visits every household, carrying a handbag that contains samples of condoms, intra-uterine devices and other birth control methods besides pamphlets for those who can read Hindi. Resham has built a rapport with scores of people in the village and has been ushering in a silent revolution by encouraging people to go for small families. She also visits Jhugiyan and Shatabgarh villages. Not only Hindu and Sikh families, she has been able to convince 200 Muslim families to go for family planning.

She says it is not easy. She has spent months telling people about benefits of small families. She is happy that women at Chhat village have taken a lead in convincing their husbands about family planning.

Of 4,597 inhabitants of the village, which includes 2,400 males and 2,197 females, at least 60 per cent of the women are aware of at least one modern method of population control.

“We are in touch with people and whenever they ask for contraceptives, we provide them,” said Resham.

Sita Ram Sharma, a panch at the village, said it was a remarkable achievement.

“Awareness has increased and people have understood that having more children is a burden,” he added.

“For a village like Chhat, this change is indeed significant and they are getting a lot of support from the local people. Grousnd-level workers too are encouraging people to come forward for family planning,” Sita Ram said.