 International Institute for Population Sciences
Govandi
Deemed the first institute of its kind in the world to specialise only in the science for Population Studies, the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) has gone under the radar for the regular Mumbaikar. Located on Govandi station road near the Lakme Factory, localites are privileged to see the analog national population counter, displayed at the entrance, that is updated every day.
The IIPS was established in July 1956 with the joint collaboration of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Government of India and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, to serve as the regional institute for training and research in population studies for the countries of Asia and the Pacific region. The IIPS has trained students from forty-one different countries. A good faculty, two hostels and an updated computer & population data centre and library make studying here worth the invested time. Also, good medical and recreational facilities are available to all students.
Besides academics, IIPS also conducts projections of our nation’s population and SC/ST populations based on state-wise data collection. “50 new humans are born every minute in India and there has to be some organised documentation of this,” says Dr. Chander Shekhar, whose forte is Demographics and Statistics. My natural response to him was, “Does a counter exist or any live updates for our island city’s population?” He responded, “There is no accurate migration data for Mumbai and hence we do not have a regular population update for the city.”
The IIPS is also conducting India’s first ever Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). The reports will be disseminated in June 2010. This survey requires nine months of data collection and the figures will be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Public Welfare. The GATS aims to reduce tobacco consumption and discuss the tobacco surveillance component whilst successfully implementing the survey. It has brought together several domestic and international partners right from the Ministry of Health to the WHO, CDC and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The IIPS also conducts the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) for India, pertaining to fertility, infant and child mortality, family planning, maternal and child health, etc.
The IIPS works on a number of relevant initiatives for public welfare and is a formidable name in the uncharted field of Population Sciences.
Varun Athreya
|
Loading...
