Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal Sunday said increasing or decreasing population growth is not the solution.
"Many countries in the world are now turning back from tough policy on population growth… China and many European countries now offer various kinds of dividends to their citizens for having more children," he said while speaking at a policy dialogue.
The dialogue titled 'How to Stabilise Population Growth in Bangladesh: Whether it is Necessary," was organised by General Economics Division of Planning Ministry at the National Economic Council conference room.
Planning Division Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam and Member of Socio Economic Infrastructure Division in Planning Commission Md. Abdul Mannan Howlader spoke as special guests.
Former Division Chief of General Economics Division (GED) M A Mabud presented a keynote paper on 'Bangladesh Population and Management Strategies of its huge population' while current Division Chief Nurul Hoque Mazumder presented the welcome address.
Member of GED Professor Shamsul Alam delivered the concluding remarks.
The Planning Minister said higher population growth is a dividend for Bangladesh as major portion of the population is of working age.
"We only need to train and educate them properly to utilise them in the country and export them abroad," he said adding that many western countries now need working population.
Mr Kamal said, "We need to take at least a 50-year plan on the population policy."
He urged experts attending the meeting to reach a consensus whether Bangladesh really needs to control population growth.
In his keynote paper, Prof Dr Mabud said timing to reach population stabilisation can be shortened by 10 years and population can be managed well if people's mobility is enhanced.
"Balanced distribution of urban rural population, industry decentralisation could be a decent way to utilise population growth," he said.
He emphasised on promoting and practicing delayed marriage and delayed first birth through community mobilisation. Use of media and local governments could be an effective way to control population growth.
He said Bangladesh's situation is volatile for high population density, low land man ratio, moderate economic growth, imbalance in age structure and unstable democracy.
Secretary Islam said controlling population growth will be tough in Bangladesh if people are not conscious, modern and liberal education system is not introduced and view on life and development is not changed.
Echoing the minister, Mr Howlader said population growth should not brought down to 0 per cent at this moment.
