Page 113 - DENG201_ENGLISH_II

Unit 7: Essay Writing (Short Essays)

estimated that the world population grew at an annual rate of 1.4 per cent during 1999-2000. China, Notes
meanwhile, registered a much lower annual growth rate of 1 per cent. However, India registered a
comparatively higher growth rate of 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001. If the current trend remains
unchecked, by 2050, India would become the most populous country on the earth with 17.2 per cent
of the world’s population.
One of the reasons for the rapid growth of population has been the orthodox beliefs held by most
Indians. The bigoted belief that children are the blessings of God and any effort by man to challenge
Him would mean the invitation of His wrath, has led to the population growth. More children means
more hands to supplement the family income. They somehow ignore the fact that it also means more
children to feed and clothe. The family planning programme initiated in the 1950s largely remained
a government programme. It rarely assumed the character of a popular community programme.
Even after fifty six odd years of independence, total literacy among the masses has not been achieved.
Poor education level of the people is the main cause of slow pace of family planning movement.
Early marriage of girls result in motherhood at the tender age of 16. Education leads to awareness,
but in many states, the educational system has become ineffective. The desire for a male child also
creates problems. Many couples in the rural areas refuse to adopt contraceptive measures till they get
a male child. Such obsession for the male child has also led to an alarming increase of female infanticide
resulting in the falling sex ratios.
India’s rapid growth of population has led to many socio-economic problems. It has the maximum
number of malnourished people in the world. The highest disease burden, the largest population of
child labour and most number of poor are present here and these numbers continue to rise every
year. The country has failed to generate new employment opportunities in proportion to the growth
of population. This has created undue pressure on the land and has resulted in the migration of
people from villages to the cities and towns. Poverty has forced them to seek refuge in slums, earn a
livelihood in a foreign land and live in inhuman conditions. The slums lack the basic amenities of
potable water, healthcare and sanitation. The forest cover in India has been drastically reduced to give
way to new residential areas, posing an ecological imbalance. The high rate of population growth
has thwarted the efforts towards development of the country both in the urban and rural sectors. The
alarming increase in the rate of crime is also the result of the population explosion. The baby boom
has resulted in a scramble for admissions to schools and universities.
On observing the demographic pattern of different states of India, states down south, viz. Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have shown a significant drop in birth rates while
the BIMARU States (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) and the newly created
states Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh account for a major share in the increase in population.
According to the Technical Group on Population Projections constituted by Planning Commission,
the country would achieve the replacement level (total fertility rate) of 2.1 by 2026. However, the
BIMARU States will achieve the replacement level of fertility by 2039, 2048, 2060 and 2100 respectively.
Family Planning Programme should not be the only measure to control population. It has been
recognised that rapid population stabilisation can be achieved only by sustained improvement in
healthcare facilities concentrating on social indicators like infant and maternal mortality, literacy,
women’s empowerment and life expectancy. Above all, education holds the key to growth. States of
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are vigorously working towards empowering women by launching
several social welfare programmes. The non-governmental organisations are working for the
emancipation of rural women. Population stabilisation has also been the focus of successive Five
Year Plans. The Tenth Plan, endorses that high quality services will have to be provided during the
next two decades to break the vicious cycle of poor performance, poverty, low per capita income, low
literacy and a high birth rate in most populous states. The Department of Family Welfare has drawn
up the National Population Policy 2000 to improve the family welfare services. One of the major
objectives of the policy is the achievement of replacement level of fertility by 2010 and of population
stabilisation by 2045. The National Commission on Population has been constituted to oversee and
monitor implementation of the National Population Policy (NPP). An Empowered Action Group
(EAG) has been constituted in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for preparation of area

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