It’s time to defuse the population time bomb

Sitting on a population time bomb is bad enough for any country. To ignore it or pretend that the issue does not exist would be like pulling the wool over one’s own eyes. A teeming population bursting at the seams requires no bigger a boost than total apathy on the part of the government to make it a dire issue. In a country like India, where the government is expected to take the initiative in crucial matters of public interest, the onus of keeping the population within the manageable parameters of governance for achieving the optimum level of economic and social development of the nation rests with the government.

A nation of 1.25 billion population, over 50% of which is below 25 years of age and over 65% below 35 years, India could rightfully lay claim to the title of a young nation although it has hosted one of the most ancient civilizations in the world. Modern India owes much of its accomplishments to its young segment of the population, which has taken over from its peers the onerous task of leading the nation to its rightful position of Vishwa Guru. Charged with enthusiasm, all that the young, buoyant population needs is the cutting edge to make it the deliverer.

An unchecked population explosion is a drain on the nation’s resources, which are bound to become more and more scarce thanks to the growing gluttony of the teeming population, compounded by the demands of an export-oriented economy. A constant check on the population growth is imperative for meeting the economy’s growing need of fuel for its twin-turbo engines of exports and domestic consumption.

It would be pertinent to recall the case of the doctrine of Lebensraum, which drove Adolf Hitler to invade neighbouring territories in the beginning and later on distant lands to serve as the hinterland of Germany, his greed for land leading to a world war of cataclysmic proportions. Being a proponent of world peace, India is known for having never nurtured territorial ambitions. It has, in fact, been a victim of far too many invasions by foreign powers, with the trajectory of its economy and spiritual development subjected to far too severe a stress and strain for it to easily overcome. Nor is it ever likely to militate against its own ethos of the world being a global family and become a warmongering nation like Hitler’s Germany.

As such, the options before it for carrying its economy to stratospheric heights of success in a competitive global scenario of hegemonistic ambitions harboured by the superpowers and regional players bristling with one-upmanship, are too few in number. It is high time the nation stopped cruising along on the support of its traditional and conventional strengths and pursued an aggressive agenda of progress and development.

Human resource should not be allowed to slide from its premier position as an effective tool for progress to be termed as the Achilles heel of the body politic. To this end, it is essential on the part of the government to adopt a realistic policy on population. A lot has already been done in the past to generate awareness among the people about the perils of an uncontrolled population, such as dwindling employment opportunities and meagre resources for the government’s welfare measures, education, health, infrastructural projects, the strengthening and modernisation of the armed forces and procurement of weapons and equipment and so on.

This is all on account of the strain on the nation’s revenue caused by a population far too big in size for a controlled expenditure. Nonetheless, much more needs to be done to promote the small family norm by engaging the people. The awareness drive about fertility and conception has to be started at an early stage of development of a man and woman. However, a mindless drive initiated by overzealous officials participating in the move is capable of subverting the aim of the drive by making the targeted people hostile. Hence, adroit handling of the issue with the involvement of people with the right motivation and psychological briefing is essential.

Families practising the small family norm should be rewarded with incentives such as cash prizes, priority in government employment, tax reliefs, etc. Some drastic measures may also have to be implemented to complement the encourage-and-reward program. Politicians who represent the people should set an example by adopting the small family norm. Those who have an oversized family should be rendered ineligible to contest polls for public offices. An indigenous scheme to draw out and enlist viable incentives and rewards to motivate people should also be introduced.

The need to have a manageable population is not for a vibrant or surging economy alone. There is an essential aspect of demographics too. India is home to a wide-ranging spectrum of people subscribing to a vast number of religions, faiths and cults, some of which have overlapping areas of belief, some others mutually exclusive, and some aggressive about spreading their influence. India, as a secular country, has a unique problem of having to address the belief system and its nuances, in respect of every unit of the spectrum, irrespective of its strength.

People who practise some of these belief systems tend to live in clusters where they demand inflexible uniformity, if not regimentation, in all walks of life, much to the consternation of those bodies of faith who disagree. People of the aggressive religions, who do not agree on the small family norm from their faith point of view, are vociferous about their opposition to the government’s initiatives and measures to control the population. This leads to heart burning and apprehension among those who practise the small family norm.

The fear of the majority community losing out to the minority community, in the long run, is not unfounded or baseless. Hence, the fear of being outnumbered has to be addressed by the government in all seriousness and appropriate measures adopted as early as possible. The government’s principled stand on the issue of Triple Talaq and the baby steps taken on the need of a Uniform Civil Code are strong indicators of its resolute ideology, which is a pre-requisite for the implementation of drastic measures to control the growth of population, cutting across communal lines.

If we remain reluctant to fight the problem of unchecked population growth, then in the course of time it can have adverse repercussions on the future of India’s economy as our country would practically be painting itself to a corner of stagnation. Furthermore, the surging population will severely strain India’s resources, which in turn will lead to food and water scarcity, lack of sanitation, increase in malnourishment, rising illiteracy, swelling unemployment and abject poverty levels as well as high maternal and infant mortality rates. Such a scenario will transform our country into a museum of global problems. To avert such a pathetic situation, we must earnestly implement concrete measures to control population growth and pass the Population Control Bill as early as possible.

(The article It’s time to defuse the population time bomb published in daily newspaper “The Statesman” on 24, January 2019 )

83 thoughts on “It’s time to defuse the population time bomb

  1. Lokesh Parakh

    The divide between urban and rural India has to be studied when deliberating on the issue of population growth. Urban families have adopted one or two child lifestyle however rural families still lack this.

    Reply
  2. Gagan Megur

    India is about to surpass China in terms of number of people but the land available with us is far less. Where will we accommodate so many people? Apartments and high rises are all risky.

    Reply
  3. chandra praneeth

    BJP leaders and RSS people have been persuading Hindus to bear more children. Then how can one expect population bomb to diffuse? This is what we can term as hypocrisy of the ruling government.

    Reply
  4. Hitesh Unavane

    When China adopted one child policy they were under serious threat of unmanageable population explosion. Look how astutely they managed the situation, we must also take cue from them.

    Reply
  5. Anuj Thakral

    Everyone knows that land and natural resources including soil are limited. Hence people relying on them should also be proportionate otherwise shortage of land and water and other resources will be experienced.

    Reply
  6. Kiran roy

    Population control measures in India are much-needed if want to preserve country’s peace. With more and more people sustaining on few available resources, there can be threats to internal peace.

    Reply
  7. Deepank Devate

    There isnt much the policymakers have to do. You can directly take the China one-child policy and implement it as it is in India and you can have amazing results.

    Reply
  8. prateek sharma

    If there has to be a strict small family norm, then it should be universal and no religion or tribe must be spared. The idea of reducing state benefits to large families is wise and can trigger checks and controls.

    Reply
  9. Mahesh Shroff

    Indian families have a tendency to produce more offsprings so that they can take care of the elderly people. This can change if government can introduce some reforms for senior citizens.

    Reply
  10. Mohan Sandeep

    Ofcourse we face terrible outcomes of unchecked growth of population. We are a poor country and can never become comprehensively developed if we do not restrict the number of kids a family produces.

    Reply
  11. goswami singh

    Great task on this publish. I enjoy the way you displayed your info as well as the way a person achieved it significant and also obvious to be aware of. Thanks a great deal.

    Reply
  12. tarun verma

    Quality articles or reviews is the key to attract the users to go to see the web site, that is what this web page is providing.

    Reply
  13. Tushar Thakare

    Very soon this web page will be famous among all blogging and site-building users, due to it is pleasant articles

    Reply
  14. Ty Johnston

    I wonder how come you get to know that this is the exact information that I have been looking for. Thanks a ton man.

    Reply
  15. triveni betha

    Just wanted to say how much we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work and effort you all put in to producing this website. It is a great credit to everyone and I am sure will be a great success.

    Reply
  16. Sudipta Sen

    I do agree with all the ideas you have offered on your post. They are very convincing and can definitely work. Thank you for the post.

    Reply
  17. Dixansh Tiwari

    You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that is been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.

    Reply
  18. Tarun Sharma

    This is a great tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information? Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read post.

    Reply
  19. Akhil Vashisht

    I quite like reading an article that can make men and women think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment.

    Reply
  20. Tarun Lohchab

    Thank you for the introduction to the new website. I will be re-visiting it many times, but on a fast run-through it looks really great.

    Reply
  21. Ubair Ul mateen

    Hello there. I could have sworn I have been to your blog before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized its new to me. Regardless, I am certainly happy I stumbled upon it and I will be book-marking it and checking back regularly.

    Reply
  22. Ulhas Mandrawadkar

    Absolutely wonderful, well done everyone, what a great achievement. Here is to the future and success for everyone. Thank you all for your hard work, we know it will be ongoing and trust that you will get the appreciation and credit of putting such brilliant articles on the worldwide web. Looking forward to seeing it grow.

    Reply
  23. Britto Shibi

    I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.

    Reply
  24. Mukesh Dohare

    Your article will surely be a great help to a lot of people. An outstanding blend of thinking and good writing.

    Reply
  25. Suhasil kamant

    The site looks absolutely fantastic. Well done to all involved. Very professional & the navigation is great too. Cheers.

    Reply
  26. bhuvan kumar

    I just had to drop you a line to let you know that John and I think that the website is BRILLIANT……………………… Well done.

    Reply
  27. Chintan Doshi

    After looking into a handful of the blog articles on your website, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future.

    Reply
  28. sueb khan

    I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn lots of new stuff right here. Best of luck for the next.

    Reply
  29. Uzair Syed

    What I have seen so far is brilliant and everyone involved should be congratulated. I can see me spending the rest of the evening perusing the site. Just when I thought I would like an early night.

    Reply
  30. Muhasin muhammed

    I just want to mention I am all new to weblog and truly savored this blog site. Likely I want to bookmark your blog . You actually have terrific articles. With thanks for sharing with us your web site.

    Reply
  31. Biak Singson

    Hi there. I simply would like to give you a big thumbs up for your great information you have got right here on this post. I will be returning to your website for more soon.

    Reply
  32. trishit kumar

    Hurrah, that is what I was seeking for, what a material. present here at this web site, thanks Dr gupta for this post.

    Reply
  33. mujib peer zada

    I just want to say I am just all new to blogging and site-building and absolutely enjoyed this web site. Likely I want to bookmark your site . You actually come with amazing writings. Bless you for sharing your web page.

    Reply
  34. sutirth dey

    Remarkable! Its actually remarkable piece of writing, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.|

    Reply
  35. Navaneeth Nair

    Hi, all the time i used to check weblog posts here in the early hours in the break of day, because i enjoy to learn more and more.

    Reply
  36. Uday Chandratre

    You ought to take part in a contest for one of the most useful blogs online. I am going to highly recommend this blog.

    Reply
  37. Brijesh Kela

    I recently had a good fortune of reading your article it is really well written with updated information. I will be returning here often now.

    Reply
  38. Swagatam Dash

    Way cool. Some extremely valid points. I appreciate you penning this post and the rest of the website is really good.

    Reply
  39. Febin Nizar

    Hello, its my first time to commenting any post. But I could not stop myself from commenting on reading through such a sensible piece of writing.

    Reply
  40. Brijesh chakrawarti

    I read this article completely about the comparison of most up-to-date and preceding technologies, it is remarkable article.

    Reply
  41. Tasha Barwahwala

    Your style is very unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have got the opportunity.

    Reply
  42. Narender Sharma

    Great web site you have got here.. it is difficult to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you. Take care..

    Reply
  43. divyesh kotekar

    Thanks for the marvelous posting. I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you are a great author. I will always bookmark your blog and will come back very soon. I want to encourage that you continue your great work,have a nice day.

    Reply
  44. Divyanshu Sharma

    I blog often and I really thank you for your content. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week.

    Reply
  45. Prof. mahesh halale

    Thanks for that, the site looks fantastic and I am sure will be a great service to both locals and visitors.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to vidushi gupta Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *