Last week it was said that India would probably cross the population count in comparison to the most populous state in the world, China. But a recent study shows how India has already crossed the population count and become the world’s most populous state.
India’s population has reached 1,425,775,850 surpassing China. China’s population is slowly and gradually shrinking as the fertility rate has eventually fallen from 5.7 births in 1950 to 2 births per woman today. India’s population is very much likely to grow in the coming years, though the fertility rate is lower than China’s population, and doesn’t seem to stop or slow down.
China has a very high mortality rate and to stop that they have made policies such as the one-child policy and promoting longer gaps in the birth of two children per woman. This is the main reason why China had reduced its fertility rate by half in the current years. Improved health and education facilities have also contributed to the reduction in China’s population too drastically.
India has been struggling for very long to control its fertility rate and growing population. It has come to an estimate that population policies that have come in the past or are likely to be taken place with such an upsurge in the current situation, to bring everyone together on board is a task in a second largest democracy.
There are spoke serious challenges that India faces in curbing the population upsurge in the state. It is very important for India to look into the reports of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy that state India needs to generate more jobs that are enough for its younger generation to work as only 40% of the working population is in the service sector.
Women need to be marginalized in the service sector and shall be promoted to work and earn a livelihood after a certain age when they are ready to take responsibility for their children and are likely to take care of them, leave the job and get into the lifestyle of motherhood.
However where in the north the problem arises of poverty and the gender-defined roles in which it states women are supposed to take care of the children. The problem in the south is much different as the aging population is said to be doubled in the coming years. The need to take population measures in a proper sense is the need of an hour. It is important for India to come up with population control policies.
