Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said that high population growth the world over was the "biggest hurdle" in the way of sustainable development, and appealed to parliamentarians from several countries to create awareness to tackle the problem.
Addressing parliamentarians and social sector leaders at a conference here, the Union minority affairs minister also said India has the potential to become a medical tourism hub and that the Centre has taken several measures to realise it.
"Growing population across the world is the biggest hurdle in the way of sustainable development...It has been causing several problems related to development, employment and health... MPs, other leaders should come together, create large-scale awareness to tackle the menace," a statement quoted him as saying.
Naqvi said the Modi government at the Centre had given priority to strengthening medical services and made substantial budgetary allocation for it.
Referring to the government's "revolutionary" step to fix ceiling prices of coronary stents, Naqvi said the decision would help bring down the cost by about 380 per cent, the statement said.
Naqvi also mentioned among other steps the government opening 'Jan Aushadhi Centres' (public medicine centre) meant for providing medicines at low cost across the country.
The minister also informed dignitaries attending the event about various welfare schemes of the government and said each of the programmes was launched keeping the poor, weaker sections, women and minorities in mind.
"The Modi government is a government of reforms. It has initiated reforms in social, economic, political and other fields," he added.
Members of Parliament and other social sector leaders from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malaysia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Japan, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Jordan participated in the two-day conference which began today.
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