Dharamsala youths sensitised on population-linked issues

The Health Department and NGO Mera Yuva Bharat organised an awareness workshop to mark World Population Day at Dharamsala on Friday. The event aimed at sensitising youth on health, social and developmental issues arising from population growth.

CMO Dr Rajesh Guleri highlighted the importance of harnessing the energy of India’s youth. “If the youths are` provided with proper direction, education and skills, this growing population can be transformed into a demographic dividend,” he said.

He stressed the significance of timely marriage and adequate spacing between children for improved maternal and child health outcomes.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Dr Anuradha Sharma, Senior Medical Superintendent of the Regional Hospital, Dharamsala, said, “Population growth should be seen as an opportunity for national development. Strategic investments in education, health and employment will allow youth to meaningfully contribute to nation-building.”

District Health Officer Dr RK Sood underscored the urgency of population control, calling it “a social responsibility closely linked to the quality of life”. He urged the youth to become active agents of change in population management. Inter-college competitions in poster making and debating were also held to encourage creative and critical thinking among students.

Participants from Guru Dronacharya Nursing College, Yol; Satyam Nursing College, Shahpur; Government College, Dharamsala; Gyan Jyoti College, Rajol; and Laureate Institute of Pharmacy, Kathog, took part in the competitions.