Sir,
This has reference to the writeup ‘India moving towards most populous country’ (DE, July 11, 2018). It is shocking to read that India could be the most populous country, overtaking China in the next few years. This is notwithstanding the fact that India’s population control programme dates back to 1951. But India’s population, which stands around 125 crores, has increased more than three times since 1951 when it was thirty six crores. Around two crore babies are added to India’s population every year.The fact that the population of U.P almost equals the population of Brazil, that of Maharashtra is equal to Mexico and of Bihar equal to Germany, undercores the dire need to take urgent steps to control the surging population. Uncontrolled population bring with it many other problems such as poverty, disease, deaths, low standard of living etc. For instance,there were largest cases of TB and highest number of deaths of children and infants in India in 2016. The factors such as poverty, illiteracy, high fertility rate, decline in death rate etc account for rise in population.All this calls for a multipronged strategy to arrest the trend of surging population. Government must introduce some harsh measures, if needed, to control population in the larger interest of the country after weighing pros and cons.Steps should be such as donot create demographic imbalances. There must be a system of incentives and disincentives. Welfare schemes such as scholarships, payment of fee, promotion, contesting elections etc must be linked with family planning programmes. Two child norm must be vigorously implemented, awareness about various means of birth control be created in the masses. Steps must be taken to remove illiteracy as education is a potent agent of social change.People must be motivated not to follow the views such as ‘children are the gifts from God’ ‘family planning is against our religion’ etc.
Ankita Sharma,
Udhampur
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