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DATE=5/11/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDIA / BILLIONTH BABY (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262226
BYLINE=ANJANA PASRICHA
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
INTRO:  India's billionth baby has been born in a 
hospital in New Delhi.  Anjana Pasricha reports from 
New Delhi, the event is being marked with expressions 
of concern over the nation's massive growth, as India 
becomes the second country in the world after China to 
cross the one billion mark.  
TEXT:  The baby picked as India's billionth baby 
received a chaotic reception when she came into the 
world.  As journalists scrambled to photograph the 
infant, the frightened parents were jostled, and 
hospital guards had to beat back the crowds. 
The baby girl has been named "Astha," which means 
faith in Hindi.  With more than 40,000 births in the 
country every day, many in remote rural areas, it was 
difficult to pinpoint who exactly who would be the 
billionth child.  The government chose Astha to 
symbolically mark the milestone.
The U-N Population Fund's representative in the 
country, Michael Vlassoff, said it was a time for 
Indians to take stock of the situation. 
            ///  VLASSOFF ACTUALITY  ///
      It's a fantastic number to contemplate. India is 
      going to become only the second country in the 
      world, and maybe only the second country ever to 
      reach the level of one billion.
            ///  END VLASSOFF ACTUALITY  ///
In a message to the nation, Prime Minsiter Atal Behari 
Vajpayee said the population growth was a serious 
matter.  He called for introspection to see where the 
country had gone wrong, and how population can be 
stabilized. 
He said the nation's resources with regard to food, 
water and housing were being stretched to their limit. 
The prime minister urged the people to make family 
planning a national movement.
The minister for women and child welfare, Sumitra 
Mahajan, echoed the concern saying "We welcome Astha, 
but we should also be thinking whether she will get an 
opportunity for education and health." 
Population experts said words will  not  suffice to 
stem the growth, and stressed the need for urgent 
action.  They criticized the government's five-decade 
old family planning program for failing to deliver 
results, with the population three times higher than 
it was fifty years ago. 
If it maintains its current rate of growth, India will 
overtake China as the world's most populous nation in 
less than fifty years. (Signed) 
NEB/AP/KL
11-May-2000 09:54 AM EDT (11-May-2000 1354 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.