"The 2012 family planning program will focus on people living in underdeveloped and border areas," BKKBN Chief Sugiri Syarief said here on Monday.
He noted that intensive family planning programs for people living in underdeveloped areas was an effort by the government to provide equal services to all citizens in the country.
Earlier, BKKBN`s Vice Chief Sudibyo said, based upon a 2010 census, the population in Indonesia had exceeded the national projection of 237.6 million, with a growth rate of 1.49 percent per year.
Sudibyo added that if the pace of the population's growth was 1.49 percent per year, the population would increase every year by more than 3.5 million people.
"Thus the population in 2010 was 237.6 million, and in 2011 it had increased by 3.5 million to become more than 241 million in total," Sudibyo said.
He added that if the population growth rate is not lowered, the country's population would rise to 450 million by 2045, resulting in one in 20 people in the world would be an Indonesian.
Therefore, Sudibyo said, concrete steps should be taken to reduce the rate of the population growth and to increase the population's quality through various programs.
"To make this happen, a grand design is needed for the revitalization of the national family planning program," he said.
(T.W004/A051/INE/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
