OPINION: Lest population growth deter development

India is the world's most populous nation now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been sensitive to the need to curb population growth. His government must be adequately serious about devising and implementing such policies and measures as would ensure that the population growth in the country does not deter its all-inclusive development.

According to the latest United Nations Population Fund reports, India has now become the most-populous country in the world. In 2023, India's population stands at 142.86 crore. The hitherto most populous China stands at 142.57 crore.

The global population touched eight billion last year. It has been growing at its slowest rate since 1950. It fell under one per cent in 2020. In contrast, India's overall population has constantly been rising. The average life-expectancy at birth for males in India today is 71 years. For females, it is 74 years.

There is little growth in India's fertility rate (births per woman in the reproductive age). It is now estimated at 2.0. It has decreased from 5.7 in 1950 to 2.139 in the present. The growth in India's overall population indicates a reduction in child mortality and an increase in human longevity in the country. It is a testament to the progress India has made in the fields of science and medicine.

More than two-thirds of India's population today is of the working age. This great mass can be a source of innovation, new thinking and lasting solutions. This can be asset to India at a time when the population in some of the major world economies is ageing very fast.

India, however, needs to curb its overall population growth. It is likely to intensify the already ongoing battle for critical resources in the country. According to an estimate, over 820 million people in our country are already water-stressed today. The population growth, if not curbed, might aggravate such crises in future.

It is assuring that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been sensitive to the danger of population growth in the country. He is for curbing this malaise. In his Independence Day speech (2019), PM Modi suggested, "The time has now come that we should take (such) challenges head on."

PM Modi said on the occasion, "If the population is not educated, not healthy, then neither the home nor the country can be happy. If the population is educated, empowered and skilled and has adequate means available to achieve the right ambience to fulfil their wishes and needs, then I think the country can fulfil these things."

PM Modi was also all praise for the citizens who have chosen to restrict the size of their families. He said, "In our society, there is a section which is very well aware of the consequences of uncontrolled population growth... Before having a baby, they take a well-considered decision whether they will be able to take care of their child's needs. Not only do they contribute to the welfare of their family but also to the good of the nation."

The concerned departments of the current government at the Centre would do well to take the Prime Minister's message seriously. India has had family planning and welfare programmes with the message "small family, happy family." India's population policy is to decrease the total fertility rate from 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026 and 1.7 by 2030. The government must devise ways and means to implement all such policies. It must ensure that the population explosion does not deter all-inclusive development in the country.

In order to bring down the fertility rate and to stabilise the country's population, the government may adequately invest in the social sector. It may focus on education of our people, especially women, and enlighten them about the need to curb population explosion. The government may focus also on making our healthcare systems accessible to the masses.

The observers add the population growth in India has also been attributable to the occasional influx of immigrants in the country. Today, the number of refugees/illegal immigrants from Bangladesh alone may exceed 15 million. The influx of such immigrants has serious implications for India's resources as well as national security. The government would do well to initiate concrete steps to tackle this problem in a holistic manner.

It is high time India develops national laws to deal with refugees/illegal immigrants. In the absence of them, all foreigners in India are presently covered by the Foreigners Act of 1946. It simply defines a foreigner as "a person who is not a citizen of India." It does not distinguish between refugees and illegal immigrants. Nor does it define refugees as a specific category needing humanitarian protection.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.