Q. Population growth is both a blessing and a curse. Elaborate it with suitable Indian examples.

Answer: According to the World population Prospects Report 2022, India will become the world’s
most populous country in 2023 with a population reaching up to 1.429 billion next year,
surpassing China’s 1.426 billion. India currently has 17.5% of the world’s population, which is
four times the population India had at the time of Independence in 1947 (34 crore). Just like the
two sides of a coin, population growth is productive as well as detrimental to a nation’s health.

Population Growth would depress living standards.
—Thomas Malthus.

IS POPULATION GROWTH A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

	Blessing	Curse
Economy	 Market Expansion: As the population grows, demand for a variety of necessities and luxury goods will rise. It will encourage producers to establish more industries, which will promote economic growth.  Greater Capital Formation and Investments: The population will generate a wider market. Consequently, it will entice investors to invest in these goods. This will result in a net increase in the nation’s capital stock.  Growth and equilibrium: As a result of population growth, the nation has a young average age. Young populations necessitate the construction of new housing, healthcare, and educational facilities.  Demographic dividend: India will have one of the largest workforces in the world. Globally, one in every 5 working age group people will live in India in the next 25 years. This results in the cheap availability of the workforce.  Increase in the labour force also enhances the productivity of a nation.	 Low Per Capita Income and Low Standard of Living: Increase in population results in a low per capita income as there is more competition for the available limited resources. For example, Bihar is the third most populous state and has the lowest per capita income in Indian states.  Inflation: The rise in population leads to a competition for products that results in price rise and in turn inflation.  Burden on Government funds: Government expenditure will increase considerably and the government will not be able to concentrate more on economic development. Also, poor people will get a smaller share of the funds and civic amenities.  Unemployment: There will be many people entering the labour market as a result of the population’s rapid rise who may be impossible to employ.  As per the NSSO Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18, India’s labour force participation rate for the age-group 15-59 years is around 53%, that is, around half of the working-age population is jobless
Health	 Fertility rate: India’s fertility rate has fallen below replacement level, at 2.1 births for every woman. The nations with the lowest incomes per capita also tend to have the highest fertility rates.  Mortality rate: The UN reports that a declining mortality rate initially caused a spectacular increase in population. As fewer children were born from generation to generation, growth began to slow. However, the population will become younger in the opposite direction.	 Shortage of Food Grains: The inability of our country’s agriculture to be mechanised makes it more difficult to adequately feed everyone as the population rises. Additionally, the expanding population will strain the land more, resulting in more land fragmentation..  India’s health -care infrastructure is also highly inadequate and inefficient. Additionally, India’s public health financing is low, varying between 1% and 1.5% of GDP, which is among the lowest percentages in the world.  Female health: In India, a third of children under five have stunted growth, and every other woman of reproductive age is anaemic. Lessattention is paid to the health of the women and increased population will further escalate this behaviour where more and more preference will be given to male children.  In 2011, the sex ratio was 943 females per 1,000 males and by 2022, it is expected to be approximately 950 females per 1,000 males.
Environment		 Environmental Problems: Increased population directly results in increased carbon footprint. harms the environment. India being a developing country, people in rural areas still use traditional ways of cooking such as using cow dung cakes and tree branches that pollute the environment.  Population density: An increase in population puts a direct strain on land use and agriculture as more people are required to be fed with the same set of available natural resources.  For example, Bihar is the most dense state in the country and also the poorest as more than 50 percent of its population is poor.
Society	 Increased opportunities: The growing population will help in increasing the national output of the country and we can have the benefits of new talented minds of the younger generations.  Religious equality: The population of minorities is also increasing which will result in Religious equality	 Hunger: Increased population means more mouths to feed which in turn creates pressure upon the available stock of food. India has ranked 107th on the Global Hunger Index (GHI), 2022, out of 121 countries.  Crime: Due to excessive population there is a scarcity of resources. It mostly affects the poor people who due to lack of education and facilities are unable to earn their livelihood. This may result in such people engaging in illegal crime and activities to feed themselves and their families.
Resources	 Efficient utilisation of resources: A major portion of our country’s resources are idle or underutilised. We need more manpower to utilise them effectively so that there is no wastage.	 Lesser Availability of Resources: Increase in population puts a strain on the natural resources. For example, to build houses for such large populations, forests are cleared to make way for agricultural lands, rivers are diverted to feed these lands and people.
Science and Technology	 New Ideas and innovation: the essence of the emotion of the 125 crore Indians wanting to come together and create a magnificent India. 125 crore Indians nurture a hope, a zeal, a resolve, a desire

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

To educate the public and raise awareness of the need for population control, the government is
implementing a number of actions. The following are some of the significant initiatives:

360-degree media campaign—The first portion of the campaign was introduced in 2016;
the second part of the campaign, which includes TV commercials, posters and hoardings, a
year-long radio show, and a specific website on family planning, was launched in 2017.

World Population Day, Vasectomy Fortnight, and other awareness-raising events are
recognised annually to create awareness.

Promotional activities: In order to raise awareness in high fertility Mission Parivar Vikas
districts, promotional activities like Saas bahu sammelans, Nayi Pehel Kits, Mobile publicity
vans, and advocacy meetings are conducted.

The government is putting in place a number of programmes to increase access to high-quality
family planning services, like

 Mission Parivar Vikas: The government has started a programme called Mission
Parivar Vikas to significantly increase access to family planning services and
contraception in 146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rates (TFR) of 3 and above
in seven high priority states. These states, which together account for 44% of the
nation’s population, include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Assam.

 New Contraceptive Options: Injectable Contraceptives and Centchroman have been
added to the list of available contraceptives.
Post-partum IUCD (PPIUCD), a new technique for inserting IUCDs right away after
delivery, has been introduced.

 Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme: In 146 Mission Parivar Vikas districts, the
Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme has been introduced to provide family planning services through mobile teams from recognised organisations in remote, underserved,
and challenging-to-reach areas.

 National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS): Clients are covered by the
National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) in the event of death,
complications, or failure following sterilisation.
Establishing Quality Assurance Committees in all states and districts to ensure the
standard of care for family planning services

WAY FORWARD

The focus should not be on population control, instead, an augmentation of the quality of life
should be the priority. The focus of action should be on extensive investment in human capital.
We should be prepared with suitable infrastructure, conducive social welfare schemes, and
massive investment in quality education and health so that we will convert the human population
into a human resource that can contribute to the making of New India.
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