The population of India is amidst intense discussion as an emerging challenge blocking the way to the growth of the Indian economy. To be honest, it is not actually a serious challenge, it seems rather mild to me. Misinformation regarding population growth has been circulating on the biggest platform of fake news these days – WhatsApp.
A WhatsApp University is the biggest propagator of communal disharmony and hatred. It is argued that the Muslim population is increasing at a spontaneous rate. Factually, it is incorrect. There is no significant difference between the ‘National’ and ‘Muslim’ average growth rate of the population, other than a slight difference. Although it is expected to be slightly higher until the next two decades because I feel that when education and demography within a community changes, the growth rate will fall. Trends stand in support of this argument.
Also, I fail to understand what their concern is- is it the growing population of Muslims or the nation as a whole? Even if they are concerned about only Muslims, they should first fight for the implementation of recommendations under the Sachar Committee Report; the population will automatically be on track. Then why is it a topic of much grueling argument? Just because it inherits a sufficient dose of communal hatred?
Also, the demand for the law of population control is gaining momentum. I feel that this is completely illogical and will be sheer idiocy to do so. Just to put things in clarity, I don’t think China didn’t develop because of harsh population control measures. There is a lot of political economics behind that. Also, if you look carefully at the consequences of the population control regulations, it seems unbearable. First one is population aging and the other is female foeticide. These are the losses that India cannot afford anymore. Also, I am of the opinion that, crimes against women will witness a rise.
According to the population transition theory, India is at a point onwards which, the pace of population growth is going to decelerate. Recent trends and empirical data doesn’t refute this theory at all. The population of a nation is something which can’t be controlled overnight unless it befalls a tragedy! I strongly feel that only education can act as friction to the growth of population. So I think legislation is not the solution, education is!
Rather than believing fake forwards from WhatsApp, try to find the correct causation and correlation in vector form, between the problems that you detect and the solution that you derive. In between, the process is the most important.