Population Growth

factor of Economic
development
Following are the main effects of population explosion:

 1. Problem of Investment Requirement

Indian population is growing at a rate of 1.8 percent per annum. In
order to achieve a given rate of increase in per capita income, larger
investment is needed. This adversely affects the growth rate of the
economy. In India, annual growth rate of population is 1.8 percent and
capital output ratio is 4:1. It means that in order to stabilize the existing
economic growth rate (4 X 1.8) = 7.2 percent of national income must
be invested.
 2. Problem of Capital Formation:

 Composition of population in India hampers the increase in capital formation.

High birth rate and low expectancy of life means large number of dependents in
the total population.
 In India 35 percent of population is composed of persons less than 14 years of
age. Most of these people depend on others for subsistence. They are
unproductive consumers. The burden of dependents reduces the capacity of the
people to save. So the rate of capital formation falls.
3. Effect on per Capita Income:

 Large size of population in India and its rapid rate of growth results into low
per capita availability of capital. From 1950-51 to 1980-81. India’s national
income grew at an average annual rate of 3.6 percent per annum. But per
capita income had risen around one percent. It is due the fact that population
growth has increased by 2.5 percent
4. Effect on Food Problem:
 Rapid rate of growth of population has been the root cause of food problem.
 Shortage of food grains hampers economic development in two ways:
(a) People do not get sufficient quantity of food due low availability of food
which affects their health and productivity. Low productivity causes low per
capita income and thus poverty.

(b) Shortage of food-grains obliges the under-developed countries to import

food grains from abroad. So a large part of foreign exchange is spent on it. So
development work suffers. So rise in population causes food problem.
5. Problem of Unemployment:
 Large size of population results in large army of labour force. But due to shortage
of capital resources it becomes difficult to provide gainful employment to the
entire working population. Disguised unemployment in rural areas and open
unemployment in urban areas are the normal features of an under developed
country like India.
6. Low Standard of Living:

 Rapid growth of population accounts for low standard of living in India. Even the
bare necessities of life are not available adequately. r population in India increases
by about 1.60 crore. It requires 121 lakh tonnes of food grains, 1.9 lakh metres of
cloth and 2.6 lakh houses and 52 lakh additional jobs.
7. Poverty:

 Rising population increases poverty in India. People have to spend a large portion
of their resources for bringing up of their wards. It results into less saving and low
rate of capital formation. Hence improvement in production technique becomes
impossible. It means low productivity of labour.
8. Burden of Unproductive Consumers:

 In India, a large number of children are dependent. Old persons above the age of
60 and many more in the age group of 15-59 do not find employment. In 2001,
working population was 39.2 percent while 60.8 percent are unproductive
workers. This high degree of dependency is due to high rate of dependent
children. This dependency adversely affects effective saving.
9. Population and Social Problems:

 Population explosion gives rise to a number of social problems. It leads to

migration of people from rural areas to the urban areas causing the growth of slum
areas. People live in most unhygienic and insanitary conditions.
 Unemployment and poverty lead to frustration and anger among the educated
youth. This leads to robbery, beggary, prostitution and murder etc. The terrorist
activities that we find today in various parts of the country are the reflection of
frustration among educated unemployed youth. Overcrowding, traffic
congestions, frequent accidents and pollution in big cities are the direct result of
over-population.
10. More Pressure on Land:

 Rising rate of population growth exerts pressure on land. On the one hand, per
capita availability of land goes on diminishing and on the other, the problem of
sub-division and fragmentation of holdings goes on increasing. It adversely
affects the economic development of the country.
11. Impact on Maternity Welfare:

 In India, population explosion is the result of high birth rate. High birth rate
reduces health and welfare of women. Frequent pregnancy without having a gap
is hazardous to the health of the mother and the child. This leads to high death rate
among women in the reproductive age due to early marriage. Hence to improve
the welfare and status of women in our society, we have to reduce the birth rate.
12. Pressure on Environment:

 Population explosion leads to environmental degradation. Higher birth rate brings

more pollution, more toxic wastes and damage to biosphere. Briefly speaking,
population explosion hinders the economic development. It should be controlled
effectively.
Measures to Control Population of India
A. Social Measure
1. Minimum age of Marriage: As fertility depends on the age of marriage. So
the minimum age of marriage should be raised. In India minimum age for
marriage is 21 years for men and 18 years for women has be fixed by law. This
law should be firmly implemented and people should also be made aware of
this through publicity.

2. Raising the Status of Women: There is still discrimination to the women.

They are confined to four walls of house. They are still confined to rearing and
bearing of children. So women should be given opportunities to develop
socially and economically. Free education should be given to them.
3. Spread of Education: The spread of education changes the outlook of
people. The educated men prefer to delay marriage and adopt small family
norms. Educated women are health conscious and avoid frequent
pregnancies and thus help in lowering birth rate.
4. change in Social Outlook: Social outlook of the people should undergo a
change. Marriage should no longer be considered a social binding.
5. Social Security: More and more people should be covered under-social
security schemes. So that they do not depend upon others in the event of
old age, sickness, unemployment etc. with these facilities they will have
no desire for more children.
B. Economic Measures:
1. More employment opportunities: The first and foremost measure is to raise, the
employment avenues in rural as well as urban areas. Generally in rural areas there
is disguised unemployment. So efforts should be made to migrate unemployed
persons from rural side to urban side. This step can check the population growth.

2. Development of Agriculture and Industry: If agriculture and industry are

properly developed, large number of people will get employment. When their
income is increased they would improve their standard of living and adopt small
family norms.
 3. Standard of Living: Improved standard of living acts
as a deterrent to large family norm. In order to maintain
their higher standard of living people prefer to have a
small family.

 4. Urbanisation: It is on record that people in urban areas

have low birth rate than those living in rural areas.
Urbanisation should therefore be encouraged.
C. Other Measures:
1. Family Planning: his method implies family by choice and not by chance.
By applying preventive measures, people can regulate birth rate. This method
is being used extensively; success of this method depends on the availability
of cheap contraceptive devices for birth control

2. Publicity: The communication media like T.V., radio and newspaper are the
good means to propagate the benefits of the planned family to the uneducated
and illiterate persons especially in the rural and backward areas of country.
3. Employment to Woman: Another method to check the population is to provide
employment to women. Women should be given incentive to give services in different
fields. Women are taking active part in competitive examinations. As a result their number
in teaching, medical and banking etc. is increasing rapidly. In brief by taking, all there
measures we can control the growth of population.
STEPS BEING TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
FOR POPULATION CONTROL:

 Mission Parivar Vikas- The Government has launched Mission Parivar Vikas for
substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services
in146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above in
seven high focus states. These districts are from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam that itself
constitutes 44% of the country’s population.
 New Contraceptive Choices- New contraceptives viz. Injectable contraceptive
and Centchroman have been added to the existing basket of choices.
 A new method of IUCD insertion immediately after delivery i.e. post-partum IUCD
(PPIUCD) has been introduced.
 Redesigned Contraceptive Packaging - The packaging for Condoms, OCPs and ECPs has
now been improved and redesigned so as to increase the demand for these commodities.
 Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors - Under the scheme MoHFW provides
compensation for loss of wages to the beneficiary and also to the service provider (& team)
for conducting sterilizations.
 Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme - The scheme has been launched in 146 Mission
Parivar Vikas districts for providing Family planning services through mobile teams from
accredited organizationsin far-flung, underserved and geographically difficult areas.
 Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep of
beneficiaries.
 Scheme for ASHAs to Ensure spacing in births.
 Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits in the drug kits of ASHAs for use
in communities.
 Family Planning Logistic Management and Information System (FP-LMIS): A
dedicated software to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of
family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.
 National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) under which clients are
insured in the eventualities of death, complication and failure following sterilization.
 Ensuring quality of care in Family Planning services by establishing Quality
Assurance Committees in all states and districts.
 Appointment of dedicated RMNCH+A counselors at high case load facilities.
 Improved Demand generation activities through a 360 degree media campaign.
 As a result of these efforts, the country is knocking on the door of replacement
level fertility and is on track to achieve TFR 2.1 by 2025.
 A cabinet committee of Family Planning, initially headed by the Prime Minister and later
by the Finance Minister, was constituted at the central level.
 In 1976, during emergency, the Government of India announced National Population
Policy.
 i. The Government proposed legislation to raise the age of marriage to 18 for girls and 21
for boys;
 ii. The Government would take special measures to raise the level of female education in
the states;
 iii. As the acceptance of Family Planning by the poorer sections of society was
significantly related to the use of monetary compensation as from May 1, 1976, to Rs. 150
for sterilization (by men or women) if performed with 2 children, Rs. 100 if performed
with three living children and Rs. 70 if performed with four or more children.
The National Population Policy 2000 (NPP
2000)
Objectives

The immediate objective of the NPP 2000 is to address the unmet needs for
contraception, health care infrastructure, and health personnel and to provide
integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care.
The medium term objective is to bring the TFR to replacement levels by 2010,
through vigorous implementation of inter- sectoral operational strategies.
The long-term objective is to achieve a stable population by 2045, at a level
consistent with the requirements of sustainable economic growth, social
development and environmental protection.
Population Policy

 Population policy determines the

 principles
 Objectives
 policies
adopted by the State as regards population issues for the purpose of influencing the
population status, including variables in population growth and its main elements
(fertility, births, deaths, geographical distribution, immigration, population
composition such as population youthfulness or rising rate of the elderly, as well as
general issues relating to health and education
The following National Socio-Demographic Goals to be
achieved in each case by 2010 were formulated:

1. Address the unmet needs for basic reproductive and child health services, supplies and
infrastructure .

2. Make School Education upto the age of 14 free and compulsory, and reduce drop outs at primary
and secondary School levels to below 20 percent for both boys and girls.

3.Reduce infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births.

4. Reduce maternal mortality rate to below 100 per 100,000 live births

5. Achieve universal immunization of children against all vaccine preventable diseases.

6. Promote delayed marriage for girls, not earlier then age 18 and preferably after 20
years of age.

7. Achieve 80 percent institutional deliveries and 100 percent deliveries by trained

persons.

8. Achieve universal access to information/counselling and services for fertility

regulation and contraception with a wide basket of choices.

9. Achieve 100 percent registration of births, deaths, marriage and pregnancy.

10. Contain the spread of Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and promote

greater integration between the management of reproductive tract infection (RTI) and
sexually transmitted infections (ST) and the National AIDS Control Organization.

11. Prevent and control communicable diseases.

12. Integrate Indian system of Medicine (ISM) in the provision of reproductive and child health
services, and in reaching out to households.

13. Promote vigorously the small family norm to achieve replacement levels of TFR.

14. Bring about convergence in implementation of related social sector programmes so that

family welfare becomes a people centred programmed.
Other Policies for upliftment of status of
Women
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
 It aims at taking coordinated and convergent efforts are needed to ensure
survival, protection and education of the girl child.
Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
 It is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 1986-87, seeks to upgrade skill of
poor and assetless women and provide employment on a sustainable basis by
mobilizing them in viable cooperative groups, strengthening marketing linkages,
support services and access to credit.
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) –
‘SABLA’
 It is a Centrally-sponsored scheme was approved by the Government to meet
nutritional needs and to provide vocational training for girls above 16 years
of age for their economic empowerment.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh – (National Credit Fund for Women)

 The Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (National Credit Fund for Women) was set up in 1993
with a corpus of Rs. 31 crores, against the backdrop of socio-economic constraints
faced by poor women to access micro – credit from the formal financial
system in the country, especially those in the rural and in unorganized sectors.
UNFPA Report 2019

 Window of Demographic dividend available to India is for 5 decades (2005-

06 to 2055-56) longer than any country in the world

 The window of demographic dividend is available at different times in

different states because of differential behavior of population parameters.
Thank You