Chhattisgarh wins national award on population

     New Delhi, December 26, 2008: Chhattisgarh would get this year’s prestigious JRD TATA Memorial Award on population.

     Chhattisgarh is selected as the best state for outstanding performance in population, reproductive health and family planning programme in the country, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India Amulya Ratna Nanda has informed the Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh.

     Because of the outstanding performance, Chhattisgarh is also selected for the Fourth JRD TATA Memorial Award, 2008, Nanda said in a letter to the Special Secretary to the Chief Minister Aman Singh.

     Chhattisgarh would be the fourth state to receive the award as Kerala was the first one to receive the award in 1997, followed by Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh in 2000 and 2002 respectively.

     From all the states Chhattisgarh was selected for the award considering the technical parameters by a committee headed by UNICEF Adviser Dr A K Shiva Kumar, while considering the success on infant mortality rate, child sex ratio, safe delivery, full immunization, literacy rate, plan expenditure on social sector among other points by the state.

    The award selection committee was headed by Justice Leila Seth as Chairperson and M S Swaminathan, B G Deshmukh, Abid Hussain, Prof K Srinivasan, Nirmala Buch, Dr A K Shiva Kumar, P M Kulkarni and A R Nanda as members, the Population Foundation of India said.