Kathmandu, February 16 “Population management is the key to achieving sustainable development goals,” says Ram Sharan Pathak, the newly-appointed member of the National Population Council. Stating that population and development were inter-linked, he emphasised the government and stakeholders must work together to manage population from a development perspective. “Better family planning services help the country reap demographic dividend,” he commented. Born in Nuwakot, Pathak also heads the Central Department of Population Studies under the Tribhuvan University. “I will fully utilise my expertise to make the NPC more effective in the coming days,” he said. According to him, of seven expert members appointed to the PM-led NPC, Pathak, Yogendra Bahadur Gurung and Mahendra Prasad Sharma have been serving at the CDPS, TU. “NPC has a great opportunity to contribute to our nation’s development as population dynamics and its significance mean a lot to policymakers,’ he observed.