Threatened by Indian demography, China lifts 1-child policy after 36 yrs

Beijing, Oct 30: China has discarded the much-debated 36-year old 1-child policy, in the light of reduced working force and disproportionate sex ratio. Especially when the country's economy is threatened by India's social structure that is dominated by younger population, providing a boost to the country's economy.

Being the highest populated country in the world, the policy was seen as a messiah for the Chinese social structure, which curbed the birth of 400 million births and saved millions of people from starvation.

However, the people's preference for boys and the increase in draconian enforcements to terminate female foetuses triggered the thought process of the authorities. The ruling Communist party said in a communique after its fifth plenary session,"China will fully implement the policy of 'one couple, two children' in a proactive response to the issue of an aging population."

IT further said that China will work toward the policy of population control and improve the same for a proportionate population growth. Although the government believes that the population reversal process will help bounce back the declining population growth, experts believe that the 36-year old ban has already had a psychological affect on the people. Hence, when the ban was removed, only one million people applied for a second child, instead of expected 2 million.

Furthermore, the fertility rate has also been affected.

Meanwhile, China has been implementing the new regulation in stages in the past few years. While the rural families, whose first child was a girl, were already excluded from it, those urban families where either of the parents is a single child can also have two kids.

Wang Feng, a leading expert on demographic and social change in China,however rues,"It's an event that we have been waiting for for a generation, but it is one we have had to wait much too long for. It won't have any impact on the issue of the aging society, but it will change the character of many young families."

Implemented in 1979, the ban enforced fines, forced sterilization and abortion in couples with more than one child.

OneIndia News