“A finite world can only support a finite population; therefore, population growth must ultimately be zero”. –Garett Hardin.
Introduction
There are over 135 million people in India and this rapidly growing population is one of the obstacles to its economic success. The existing population cannot be reduced, but the rate of population growth can be slowed. The unexpected onset of the pandemic has served as a wake-up call about where we stand in relation to our resources and the people who depend on them. The spread of the deadly virus, along with the ensuing economic collapse, demonstrated that we have failed as a country. It is not because of government policies or incompetence, but because of the huge population of the country. The lockdown has caused large numbers of unskilled workers to migrate to cities in search of a more active lifestyle. It’s not that the government doesn’t want to do something; they just don’t know how much infrastructure they should build with their limited resources. India is home to about 16% of the total world population but has only 2.4% of the world’s total land area. India’s population is expected to reach 1.69 billion in 2050, more than China’s forecast of 1.31 billion in the same year. China, being a communist government, has chosen a one-child policy to curb its population growth, which has been widely criticized as inhumane and violating human dignity and rights. As a result, in 2016 they introduced a two-child policy, under which government grants and benefits will only be given to the first two children in the family. According to a report by the East India Forum, these efforts reduced China’s population by 400 million.
Offshoots of a large population
“By improving health, by empowering women, population growth decreases.” – Bill Gates.
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Too large a population would be confusing to our country, resulting in high crime rates, fouling the social fabric, causing unrest throughout the administration, and therefore cascading significant problems, straining the government and our limited resources. As a result, population control legislation becomes necessary in the national interest. But democracy will not work only with a one-way coercive program to stabilize the population in order to control its fertility. Therefore, in addition to the law, our educational system must be adapted to allow the general public to think independently about the advantages of a small family. Educating women is also beneficial for population control because educated women can be guardians of the size and health of their families. Coercive techniques of population control will aggravate the situation of illiterate women. It can also lead to female infanticide.
Moreover, poverty, corruption and population are intimately linked. This negatively impacts government primary health care programs and disrupts medical services that serve the poor. A population boom triggers a chain reaction of social, economic and political problems. People who are illiterate and uninformed of the dangers of a rapidly growing population. They don’t even know the different methods of family planning. And India is the third country in the world and the one that is literate most of them earlier (changing every passing day) believes in the need to have a male child who can continue their family line. Apart from them, there is a group of people who state categorically that “birth control is contrary to their beliefs”. A child is a gift from God and using birth control is a sin. They are careless about the quality of life and lack a sense of social duty, necessitating the passing of a population control law in the national interest. They do not share the goal of improving social and economic conditions. Overpopulation produces more problems. Medical conditions are deteriorating and diseases are spreading at an increasing rate. A growing number of Indians live in poverty. A larger family means higher costs and lower savings, something few would choose in today’s fast-paced world of fierce competition. “When the family is small, the little they have, they can share. There is peace. – Philip Njuguna. Unfortunately, infrastructure development is not keeping pace with population growth. A large part of the funds is used to meet basic requirements. As a result, there is a shortage of transport, communication, housing, education and health care, among others. The army of unemployed young people of working age is growing due to an undesirable demographic expansion. In these epidemic times, the problem has become even more alarming. Consider this: At a time when people are losing their jobs and businesses and small businesses are closing, is the government helping existing workers so they can support their families, or the thousands of teenagers , skilled and unskilled, who join the unemployed army?
There are very few job opportunities for educated and unskilled people in their area of residence. As a result, they move to towns and villages in search of work. As a result, cities have become overcrowded, deteriorating living conditions and causing socio-economic and environmental problems. The slight increase in national income that occurred as a result of planned economic expansion was eaten away by population growth. As the world’s population continues to grow, deforestation and biodiversity loss are also two of the biggest threats. Every year, thousands of acres of forest and non-forest land are turned into concrete jungles to meet housing demands. And the loss of forest cover directly contributes to climate change. The country’s food security is threatened by the combined effects of population growth and climate change. The world is currently striving to solve climate change by reducing the carbon footprint through better technology and controlled use of natural resources. However, an uncontrolled population increase will jeopardize these efforts. Farming becomes more difficult with each additional mouth to feed. Agriculture is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. To fight climate change, we need more than just reduced carbon footprints. After fossil fuels run out, a society with less demand for natural resources, including fossil fuels, will be healthier and more stable.
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Each of us must be aware of the problems that arise and demand immediate action. To propel the country to greater heights, all that is needed now are strict standards of population control, which would divert funds that would otherwise be used for basic needs to other economic activities.
current bill
This is why Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country, said it aims to curb population growth to foster long-term development with a more equitable distribution. The state’s BJP government has introduced a proposal to discourage couples from having more than two children while rewarding those who have only one. On the occasion of World Population Day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has released the Uttar Pradesh Population Policy Bill 2021-2030. Several incentives are announced in the proposed policy for parents who follow the two-child policy or who have only one child.
Incentives are like two extra increments during the entire service, preference for only one child in government jobs, discount on utility charges such as water, electricity, council tax, gratuity health care and insurance coverage for the only child until he reaches the age of twenty, etc. In addition, they offer various disincentives such as a ban on benefiting from government sponsored war programs, a ban on applying for government jobs, a ban on standing for local body elections, a ban on receiving any type of government grant, etc. In any case, the UP’s draft population control strategy has reignited the controversy over the two-child restriction. The terms of the proposed legislation, titled “Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021”, will come into effect one year after its publication in the Gazette if passed. The public can make suggestions on the bill until July 19.
Accordingly, the need for such legislation is becoming increasingly urgent in order to address dwindling resources and a variety of other factors that cannot be overlooked, all of which contribute to a more sustainable environment.
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