Population Explosion: A Real Concern Or Just Politics?
shakeel ahmad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Words and phrases such as Swacch Bharat, Smart city, Startup India, Bullet train, Standup India and Make in India seem to have been suddenly rendered redundant! Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned no less than eight times in his Independence Day speech that population control would now be the most critical issue. This fresh issue is all set to grab eyeballs given the assembly elections in the few states in the coming months.
The concept of demographic dividend lost its vehemence with this sudden announcement. When Japan imposed strict controls on childbirth, it had made its place in the world as a country for the aged. When China adopted the one-child policy; the result was a dearth of females for marriage. What if our country becomes as large as China demographically?! Kolkata and Mumbai are the most heavily populated cities in the country; still, no one remains hungry. The poverty in those cities it is the bane of industrialisation that had taken place there.
Resources can never exhaust because there remains a possibility of new pastures in nature’s design. Actually, our planners ponder over a matter for a limited period, not more than five or six years. While Russians plan for more than that and Americans even go beyond than that period. But these countries were not harping about population explosion. China used its young population in productive plans. So it has dominated the markets all over the world. But we are not going beyond Pakoda-frying and tea-selling.
The idea behind bringing the dread of the population explosion is politics, many a person point out: if one insists upon two-child norm, others will go against it. Then the argument will stretch to a different level. This will ultimately help the game of politics.
Adam had two sons on Earth; even Lord Rama was blessed with two sons. The small family norm exists from the day humans arrived on the living planet. Population explosion is nothing but a theory given by Thomas Robert Malthus, who discussed moral restraint of postponing marriage. By this very theory, the question of the child will not arise, and the challenges before the government will not stand. This will end the chances of unnecessary disturbance of the population explosion before the government.
What needs to be done is to provide jobs to every hand. The population is increasing in slums, tribal areas, poor homes etc. More work can reduce the population. Literacy plays a good role in curbing population. This is clear through the more educated population in south India. North India needs more awakening through the expansion of education.
