Population of India

In this paper, I will try to examine the current situations of the Indian population. Also I will try to identify problem that surround the Indian population and take a look at the means the government of India did in order to solve perceived problems.

The world’s biggest dilemma is the day-by-day struggle for survival and the scarcity of resources due to increased population. Over six billion people are estimated in the world population today and this increase in number cannot be prevented because of the high rate of fertility and the low rate of mortality. This means that more babies are being born than people dying. India is one of the countries considered as mere contributing factors of the growing population. It is the country of high population growth and has more than one billion people.

Because of its unstoppable increase in number, many Indians are suffering in the state of poverty. Most of them are deprived and exploited. This exploitation will bring forth further devastation of the country’s resources. This immediate concern on economic condition and the depletion of resources matters on the availability of the resources, the energy consumption and production capacity. Thus, population growth is sometimes thought to be a resort of the country’s development but on the contrary, this becomes a burden to the public and to the government if not backed up by good policies and programs. Large population means large consumer groups but can also be translated to large purchasing power and large work force that is essential in an economy.

“India has more than 1 billion people and approximately 16.7% of the world’s population” (iloveindia.com). There are estimated 324 people in every square kilometer. In age structures: “0-14 years 31.7% (male 173,869,856; female 164,003,915); 15- 64 years, 63.5% (male 349,785,804; female 326,289,402); 65 years and over, 4.8% (male 25,885,725; female 25,235,905) (2004 estimate)” (iloveindia.com). The growth rate in populations is estimated to be 1.44% as of the year 2004. Like most countries; the birth rate in India is higher than the death rate. In every 1000 people in India, 22.8 births and only 8.30 deaths are reported. Furthermore, there are only 57.92 deaths reported for every 1000 live births, which is a big imbalance.

The life expectancy in India is “63.99 years for the whole population” (iloveindia.com). Females are said to have higher life expectancy than men. Every woman is equated with 2.85 children which is extremely high compared to other countries. It was also reported in India as of the year 2001 that 3.97 million of its populations is infected with the deadly HIV disease and there were already 310,000 people who died because of the said sickness. Again, poor sanitation, poor lifestyles and lack of knowledge were some of the perceived reasons for the high number of HIV cases and the high number of deaths.
“There are three ethnic groups in India. Among its people, 72% are Indo-Aryan, 25% are Dravidian and 3% are Mongoloids and others” (iloveindia.com, para.5). Regarding its literacy rates, which are defined by 15 years of age number of people that can read and write, it was reported that 59.5% is literate among the total population. Among males, literacy rate is 70.2% and among women is 48.3% as of 2003. The figure also implies that a man is move likely to have education than women.

Given the reported figures above, the Republic of India is basically faced with the problem of population control. Facing the problem of high population rate also tells us that it is also facing the problems given by high population. In this regard, the Indian Government has a very rigorous and difficult jobs.

The burden in finding solutions to India’s population explosion resides mainly on its own government. In its quest to find answers in controlling population rate increase, the government made measures to solve the problems. These measures are the ones we will discuss further in this paper.

In terms of legislation, the Government of India passed the “Child Marriage Restraint Act in 1976” (populationcommission.nic.in, para.9). To put muscle on the government’s quest for a solution to the high population increase, mandated was the “strict enforcement of Child Marriage were Restraint Act, 1976” (populationcommission.nic.in, para.9). Child marriages was not only discouraged by the Indian government but also made it a legislations in order to emphasizes its importance. There is indeed a need for the Indian government to act now in dealing with population problem. “A cash incentive of Rs. 500 is awarded to mothers who have their first child after 19 years of age, for birth of the first or second child only” (populationcommission.nic.in). The Indian government is indeed serious in their quests to halt population high rate increase. They even spend money for rewards to people who dows not get pregnant at an early age. Facilities for safe abortion were also strengthened in India to furthers address population growth. This is quite unconventional but practical means in order to fight high population growth which has been a very hard enemy.

Many of these Indians below poverty line do not also have the benefit of what a person coming from a rich family will experience in terms of health care and education. High population results to high poverty rate on most cases such as in India. The Indian government is not only facing population problem but also the status of many Indians living below poverty line. To address this problem, the Indian government also made measures in addressing health care; “couples below the poverty line, who undergo sterilization with not more than two living children, would become eligible (along with children) for health insurance (for hospitalization) not exceeding Rs. 5000, and a personal accident insurance coverage for the spouse undergoing sterilization.” Making a person infertile is also part of the huge campaign against the high level of population uncrossed in the Republic of India.

To also address the problem of poverty, the government of India side that “increased vocational training schemes for girls leading to self-employment will be encouraged” (populationcommission.nic.in, para.12). To be employed is very much needed, and it is of big help to people living below the poverty lines, especially when they are raising children. Beyond being employed, it is also the aim of training to empower women in terms of their capacity and role in the society, which is a very important aspect of the well being of a woman not only in India but also in different parts of the world. Women empowerment is one essential part in order for a country to succeed and to be strong. Society is not about men alone; it is between the teamwork of men and women empowered and ready to face the challenges of today’s time.

There is also the lack of education among Indians; that is why many of them don’t have the proper knowledge in terms of reproductive health issues and how to execute family planning methods. Low education levels is mostly in rural areas in India where transportation seem to be a problem. Government service is at times in a difficult situation in reaching these communities; a big part of the education campaign of the government of India is the education on reproductive health and family planning method. This step is a very important means in achieving the government’s goals and dream to reduce population high increase among its people.

Basically, in order to fight high population increase the Indian government focused on implementing means such as legislation against early marriage, insurance for families below poverty level, abortion facility rehabilitation, rewards and education.

In conclusion, India is a very rich country in terms of its potential to be a powerful nation in terms of economy and armed forces. This is due to the facts that it has a high population. India has more than 1 billion people and approximately 16.7% of the world’s population. There are estimated 324 people in every square kilometer. The growth rate in population is estimated to be 1.44% as of the year 2004. High population can be a great potential for a country, but can also be dangerous at times. By this moment in time, the government of India is still in its battle to fight the negative effects of population explosion such as poverty, lack of health care and lack of education.

To fight high population increase the Indian government focused on implementing means such as legislations against early marriage, insurance for families below poverty level, abortion facility rehabilitation, rewards and education. In the near future, great success will then be visible in the Indians’ quest to fight the rapid population growth of their country. As long as there is the constant dedication of the people and the government, goals will always be achieved. Nothing is impossible in this world. Even bad situations can be turned into good ones.


Reverence


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Promotional and Motivational Measures for Adoption of the Small family norm (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2007 from
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Population Policy (n.d.). Organization Population Conciel. Retrieved August 2, 2007 from
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India will overcome China in population by 2030, (n.d.) : United Nation Retrieved August 2, 2007 from
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