Prof. D. Mukhopadhyay
As of 2021, India is the second-most populous country in the world, with a population of over 1.3 billion people. However, projections show that by mid-2023, India is expected to overtake China and become the most populous country on the planet. While this milestone may seem like a cause for celebration, it also comes with a host of challenges and dangers. India’s population has been growing at an alarming rate, with the country adding around 18 million people every year. According to the United Nations, India’s population is projected to reach 1.4286 billion in July, 2023 against the Chinese population 1.4257 billion, making her the most populous country in the world.India has a large workforce that is crucial to the country’s economic growth. However, despite having a high number of workers, India’s labor productivity has remained low compared to other countries. This presents a challenge for the industrial sectors to engage the workforce effectively to drive economic growth and increase GDP.This population explosion is putting immense pressure on India’s infrastructure. Roads, airports, railways, and public transport systems are struggling to keep pace with the growing population. As a result, India’s cities are plagued with congestion, air pollution, and poor public services. A recent study by the World Bank found that India’s infrastructure investment needs are estimated at $4.5 trillion by 2040. Moreover, India’s growing population is also exacerbating environmental problems. India is already one of the world’s most polluted countries, with air pollution causing over 1.6 million deaths per year. As more people are added to the population, the demand for resources like water and energy is also increasing, putting further pressure on the environment. Deforestation, soil degradation, and water scarcity are significant issues in India, and these problems are likely to get worse as the population continues to grow. India’s population explosion is a global concern. As the most populous country, India’s carbon footprint is significant, and its growing appetite for resources and energy is contributing to climate change. India is already one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, and its emissions are projected to double by 2030.
The challenges of unbridled population growth are many, as such it contributes to social and economic inequality and exacerbates social and economic harmony. The country already has a significant wealth gap. As more people are added to the population, this gap could widen further, leading to greater poverty and social unrest. As of now, the top 10% of the population hold over 70% of the wealth. With so many people living in a relatively small area, India’s roads, schools, hospitals, and other essential services will be stretched to the breaking point. This could lead to widespread social unrest, as people struggle to access the resources they need to survive. With more people comes more pollution, more waste, and more pressure on India’s natural resources. The country is grappling with issues like air pollution, water scarcity, and deforestation, and these problems are only likely to get worse as the population continues to grow. Finally, India’s population explosion could have global consequences, as the country’s growing appetite for resources and energy contributes to climate change and other environmental problems.
The alarming increase in population requires immediate attention from the government to ensure sustainable development and address the associated challenges. Here are some solutions that the government of India should consider the Family Planning Program. This could include providing free access to contraceptives and promoting awareness about family planning methods. Secondly , giving top priority to revamping higher education in terms of an efficient and effective teaching-learning-delivery system by making it free of corruption. Education is one of the most effective ways to address population growth. The government should focus on increasing access to education, especially for girls, as educated women are more likely to have fewer children. The government should focus on appointing the right person for any post and position and more particularly in the leadership positions. Unfortunately, the education sector, particularly the higher and tertiary education sector, is the worst hit by the practice of unhealthy politics at the cost of nation building. Corruption is rampant on campus. Obtaining a quality education is dream for ordinary learners. Most of the private sector educational institutions are enjoying the leverage of unprecedented unemployment and the teachers appointed by private institutions are ill paid and subject to ill treatment, , limitless exploitation and none to hear their plight. Most of the private institutions have not revised the pay scales for decades and it is the order of the day to pay ‘as per the norms’ and nobody knows what the norm is. The basic pay of an Assistant Professor as per 6th pay Revision is Rs 21,600, which is much lower than an Office Assistant’s pay as per the 7th Pay Revision . Hardly any private institute pays dearness allowance. It is a shame for the nation that the heads of the institutions, in the ranks of Vice Chancellor, are very often found in jails because of corruption and financial scams related charges, and many of them are devoid of knowledge of modern evolutionary developmental trends in the higher education sector. To cite the realities, a retired Botany professor was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of a Engineering and Technology University having no Botany department, who proudly reversed the B.Sc.(Hons.) /M Sc. In Economics programs to B. A./M. A Economics even after a successful run of the program for more than five years as it was introduced by his previous rival counterpart. As of now , there are many institutions of higher learning in the country who have introduced B. Sc.(Hons)/M Sc. In Economics, about five decades ago, in order to keep pace with changing global trends and make the program time honoured. China has been able to overcome the challenge of a population explosion by modernizing the education system and introducing the policy of zero tolerance of corruption in the education sector. Providing access to quality healthcare services can help reduce infant mortality rates and encourage smaller family sizes.
The government should invest in healthcare infrastructure and increase funding for family planning services. Besides, the government should launch awareness campaigns to educate people about the importance of population control and the benefits of small families. This could include public service announcements, community programs, and targeted social media campaigns. Further, it is necessary to focus on improving urban planning and infrastructure to accommodate the growing population. This could include developing new cities and towns, improving public transportation systems, and investing in sustainable energy and water management. Incentives for Small Families: The government should consider offering incentives for small families, such as tax breaks, education grants, and healthcare benefits. This could encourage people to have fewer children and reduce the burden on resources and infrastructure. The Role of Industrial Sectors in increasing the workforce towards economic growth in both manufacturing and the Service Sector. The government should encourage private sector industries to invest in skill development programs to enhance the workforce’s skills and productivity by providing necessary fiscal benefits and allied exemption and allowable expenses under the Income Tax Act, 1961 and GST Act, 2017. This could include offering training programs and apprenticeships to help workers acquire new skills and learn new technologies. The productivity of the Indian workforce is comparatively much lower than her counterparts at global level. Low productivity means higher cost of production, leading to low competitiveness of goods and services in the international market, resulting in insignificant economic development. Engaging the workforce effectively is crucial to driving economic growth. By taking these steps, the industrial sectors can help to enhance the productivity of the workforce and drive economic growth in terms of GDP.
Substantial investments both in manufacturing and service sectors can encourage entrepreneurship by providing support to startups and small and medium-sized businesses. This can help to create more job opportunities and drive innovation in the economy and a trained and skilled workforce can be employed gainfully. . Privately owned both the manufacturing and service sector, organizations can drive infrastructure development by investing in new facilities, equipment, and technology which could help to improve the efficiency of operations and drive economic growth and governments should not come to any commercial business, trade , industry and commerce. However, it is the responsibility of the government to make laws, implement the laws and punish the violators of the laws. In other words, government should act as a strict regulator of law and order so that indigenous as well as foreign entrepreneurs can confidently park their investments in all sectors, in the economy, including the education sector . The education sector needs investment for development of modern and time-honoured infrastructure for carrying out research and development. India’s demographic dividend presents a significant opportunity for the manufacturing and service sectors to drive economic growth and development. With 68% of India’s workforce falling within the age range of 16-64 years, the manufacturing and service sectors can play a crucial role in utilizing this demographic dividend. The manufacturing and service sectors can absorb new technologies to improve efficiency , generate economy and raise productivity of the potential workforce.
In substance, both the manufacturing and service sectors have a critical role in utilizing India’s demographic dividend. By creating job opportunities, investing in skill development, encouraging entrepreneurship, adopting new technologies, driving infrastructure development, and promoting an inclusive workplace, the manufacturing and service sectors, jointly with the contribution of a skilled and well-trained workforce, can help to harness the the unexplored opportunities and the technology savvy with creativity-orientation India’s young workforce shall be able to drive economic growth. Therefore, the alarmingly rising pollution could be an opportunity instead of a threat, but it is already late to some extent to adopt appropriate measures for population control, and further delay in population control and making the existing population skilled and productively employed may incur huge cost to the nation.
(The Author is a Bangalore-based Educationist and Management Scientist)
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