By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Mar 29: The birth rate in the state seems to have remained static hovering around 24,000 births annually, government figures stated.
 
Goa, the state with much higher literacy and awareness about family planning, has witnessed 24,021 births registered during calendar year 2008.
 
The statistics tabled on the floor of the house during recently concluded state legislative assembly session reveals that the state had 23,893 births in the year 2007, while 24,801 babies were born in the year 2006.
 
The year 2005 saw 24,631 babies while previous year, 2004, had 24,896 babies born in this coastal state.
 
The coastal talukas of Bardez and Salcette rank high amongst all the eleven talukas in terms of birth rate. In all 6,844 babies were born in Bardez taluka while 5,686 babies were born in south goa’s coastal Salcette taluka.
 
What’s striking is that the rural talukas are having lesser birth rate. Sanguem taluka had 140 baby births registered for 2008 while Northernmost Pernem taluka, bordering Goa-Maharashtra, had 219 births.
 
On the death registration front, the state also has similar record. The year 2008 had 11,711 deaths registered in the state as against 12,193 in the year 2007 and 12,639 in 2006.
 
The previous years had similar figures. The year 2005 had 11,373 people registered dead and 2005, the number was 10,955.