State has only one option for population control?

Population control is very important for a country like India, where huge numbers of people are fighting for limited resources and opportunities.  But, do you think mass sterilization drive is the only answer for that?

As per NYT report,

"In the 12 months ended in March 2013, 4.6 million Indians were sterilized. Between 2009 and 2012, India’s government paid compensation for 568 women who died as a result of the procedure. All told, 37 percent of all the female sterilizations performed in the world are done in India, many in unsanitary, assembly-line conditions."

When many other safe contraception methods are available, why government is still focusing on laparoscopic tubectomies? Without an iota of doubt I can say, this is not the way to control population growth. How come population control becomes so important among tribal areas, where the levels of awareness about such surgeries are so low? What is the need for government to impose population control in tribal areas, especially when tribes themselves are facing survival challenges?

We have to recalibrate our policies and action plans, especially after the death of 13 women in sterilization camp. For some targets and incentives, we can no longer do these sorts of things. (Incentive for each women undergoing sterilization is 1400INR. In many parts of India this is a big amount).

One of the Doctor there performed 83 surgeries in six hours!!!

References

               

1. India doctor arrested, denies role in womendeaths-Yahoo

2. India’s Lethal Birth Control-NYT

Are we substituting the original news with adrenaline driven debates?

What is the difference between news and opinion?

Opinion is, “A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge”.

Now-a-days I am seeing Indian media spends more energy in debates, where panels composed of activists, social workers, politicians, strategic analysts etc. discuss and reach an opinion by sitting at their chair in the comfort of studios or home. Is this, we the audience, expecting from news channel?

What are the main problems our country is facing today? Is it the statements of some politicians, some infighting in some political dynasties or what happens in Delhi, Mumbai and sometimes in J&K and UP?

What about hundreds of life stories from central, eastern and north-eastern India? What about problems faced by tribals? What about the ever increasing child death rates in Kerala’s tribal belts? What about the problems faced by farmers of Vidarbha? What about the infrastructure problems faced by people from Odisha? What about people’s raising interest in viewing their fellow neighbors through religious prism instead of considering them as fellow human being?  Isn’t these and many other stories are not worthy of primetimes?

Or do we have to turn to BBC to see that?

Sajeev