National Action Plan on Population (2021–2026): Senate body reviews targets, financial utilisation, commodity procurement
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives reviewed the targets, financial utilisation, and commodity procurement and distribution mechanisms for implementation of the National Action Plan on Population (2021–2026).
The Senate body met here on Tuesday with Senator Quratulain Marri in the chair. The meeting reviewed the implementation of the National Action Plan on Population (2021–2026).
Officials from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Population Programme Wing briefed the Committee on targets, financial utilization, commodity procurement and distribution mechanisms.
The Committee was informed that the Plan aims to reduce the national population growth rate to 1.5 percent by 2025 and 1.1 percent by 2030, while lowering the Total Fertility Rate to 2.6 births per woman by 2025 and 2.2 by 2030. The programme currently covers 25 districts across Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory, benefiting an estimated 9.3 million people, including 10 districts in AJK with 4.4 million residents, 14 districts in Gilgit-Baltistan with 2.1 million residents, and one district in ICT with 2.8 million residents.
The Committee was further informed that the project has a total allocation of Rs. 1,998.82 million, of which Rs. 1,679.60 million (84 percent) is earmarked for commodity procurement and Rs. 243.50 million (12 percent) for advocacy and communication. The remaining funds are distributed across curriculum and training (Rs. 22.20 million), support of Ulema (Rs. 14.00 million), universal access to family planning and reproductive health services (Rs. 13.50 million), miscellaneous operational needs (Rs. 11.00 million), and legislative efforts (Rs. 5.00 million). Against Rs. 1,200 million funds allocated from 2021 till the June 2026 period, Rs. 470 million has been released and Rs. 383.329 million utilized, reflecting 19.1 percent financial and 17 percent physical progress against overall project targets. The Committee stressed the need for timely release and utilization of funds to prevent stock-outs and ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
Officials from the Ministry also briefed the Committee that contraceptive commodities are centrally procured and distributed through regional hubs in Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Islamabad to district stores, hospitals, Basic Health Units and Population Welfare Centres.
The Senate panel emphasized that population management should receive greater priority in national planning and development, noting that rapid population growth places increasing pressure on limited resources and essential public services. The Committee also called for a modernized communication strategy, with greater reliance on social media and digital platforms to reach younger audiences. Members observed that traditional channels such as television and radio have comparatively limited engagement among younger generations and recommended more targeted and contemporary awareness campaigns. The Committee further recommended strengthening community engagement, including greater collaboration with Ulema and religious scholars, to enhance public awareness and address social barriers relating to family planning services.
During the session, the Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, alongside the Chief Statistician of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Dr. Naeemuz Zafar briefed the committee on PBS’s core data collection frameworks, including the Population and Housing Census, Agricultural Census, Economic Census, Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES), Labour Force Survey (LFS), and ongoing updates to the Change of Base of National Accounts from 2015-16 to 2025-26. Discussions raised notable queries regarding data accessibility and coverage across regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, as well as the mechanisms for data integration between the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Planning Ministry. Committee members, including Senator Saadiya Abbasi, highlighted critical concerns regarding the monitoring of price fluctuations for basic commodities, examining how PBS statistical indicators reflect real-time market shifts—particularly for essential items such as pulses, daily food commodities, and oil—to better inform price control and planning mechanisms over multi-week and multi-month periods.
The Committee appreciated the bureau’s ongoing national support system and scheduled a physical visit for the following week to inspect department operations firsthand. Furthermore, the committee suggested taking up an initiative with the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) to incorporate statistics as a formal subject within their core competitive course curricula to strengthen analytical capacity for public service in the future.
The meeting was attended by Senators Jam Saifullah Khan, Saadia Abbasi, Manzoor Ahmed and Shahadat Awan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026