The Modi government’s stand on population control has been unequivocally explained before the Supreme Court. The government made clear that it is not in favour of forced birth-control as was done in China for decades. Ideally, India subscribes to the theory of “hum do, hamare do” (two kids for a family) but use of force is not the way forward in a democratic society and the government understands as much.
The government stand was presented before the apex court in response to a PIL that sought strict implementation of birth control norms that India had introduced in the 1960s. This was messed up during the Emergency of the 1970s through forced sterilization and has eventually lost its steam. Voluntary birth control steps to reduce the number of births are being encouraged. Two is ideal, but there’s no strict limit. Significantly, the government noted that the total fertility rate (TFR) or birth per female on average has come down from 3.2 in Year 2000 to 2.2 by Year 2018 and might be still lower now. The acceptable fertility rate is 1.8 and this is clearly an achievable target.
The message has spread. Families more or less have volunteered to adhere to the two-child norm. Exceptions are mostly Muslim families as their religion does not sanction birth control. Still, large numbers of educated Muslim families are opting for smaller families. With a population explosion seeing India having over 135 crore people, next only to that of China’s, this is admittedly causing a huge strain on national resources as also natural resources. Yet, there are those who favour more births by citing India’s current demographic dividend or the larger population of youths. But an unchartered youth population could also be a cause of unrest.
The institution of marriage is strong in India and in most Asian nations with the exception of nations like Japan. Europe, as also Japan, is faced with the problem of ageing populations with lesser child births. The system of marriages has become old-fashioned in the West. This results in lesser childbirths even as couples choose not to have children.
The urban sprawls in India present a pathetic picture. Governments and local bodies have not been able to provide even proper water and sanitation facilities to these areas where millions have an existence worse than that of cattle. Jobs are hard to come by due to lack of economic growth. Huge sums are spent on the free- foodgrain scheme. Healthcare system is facing serious strain. The only consolation is the steady fall in TFR.
