Condoms being home delivered in UP’s Ballia amid fears of population explosion during coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown

NEW DELHI: While people are staying indoors due to restrictions imposed by the Centre and the state governments to contain the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 infections, the situation has also led to fears of a possible explosion in the country during this period.

This has prompted the population control department to start home delivery of condoms and other family planning kits in every village of the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. It has come to light that the district administration in Ballia has given instructions to the health workers to distribute condoms, contraceptives, and other popular family planning kits to prevent the possible explosion of the population here.

The district officials are concerned that lockdown restrictions and lack of recreational activities might lead to a possible rise in the birth rate in the district and elsewhere during this period.

Due to this, the members of NGOs like Asha along with health care workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs) have been instructed to distribute condom packets and other contraceptives to every household here. They have also been asked to make people aware of the benefits of family planning and various population control measures available to them.

Sharing more details, Ballia’s Assistant CMO Dr. Ballinder Prasad said that the government is also worried that family planning should not become an entertainment tool for the husband and wife imprisoned in the house due to the coronavirus pandemic. About 30 thousand condoms have been distributed so far during the lockdown, he said. 

The ACMO, however, said that this campaign to distribute family planning kit is not new and it has already been running for a long time as part of the government’s population control program. 

Dr Prasad said that lockdown in the rural areas means less entertainment, so the campaign to distribute condom is being continued here keeping in mind that the population does not increase.  He also informed that the health workers here are also taking full care of social distancing measures whenever they come to any village. are moving among people. 

ASHA workers and ANMs are going door-to-door telling people about the benefits of family planning along with fighting the coronavirus. NGO Asha is providing contraceptive pills to women to avoid unwanted pregnancies, while condoms are being distributed to men. 

A health worker said that due to the lockdown, labourers working in other states have returned to their homes. This time is very important for family planning and that’s why the health workers are telling them the benefits of family planning.