population of India is merit or demerit?
Introduction
- According to statistics, India may cross China to reach the state of the country with the highest population in the end this year. But some economists say that this is a good sign because India is one of the countries with the highest number of productive people, and this is a factor that helps to make India the country with the potential to grow as an economic superpower.
- Currently, according to demographics, the population of the country is over 132 crores as in 2020.
- Let us have a look at advantages and disadvantages of population growth in India.
current scenario
- India is the second highest populated country in the world with over 120 crore population according to census 2011.
- According to census 2020, the population of India is around 132 crore and is expected to level the demographics of China within no time which has the population around 137.25 crores.
- The debate about the growth of the population is a never-ending one. Some call the huge population a blessing and some call it a curse.
- Most of the experts feel that identifying the merits and demerits of population growth is the most complicated task, but a majority of them feel that India will become the nation with the highest number of earning age- group people, youngsters between 20-35 years in the upcoming years.
- But in some parts of the world, the populous countries like China are suffering from issues of unemployment and the highest number of unproductive age-group right now. Some feel that this situation can repeat in India in future.
- On the other hand, economists feel that growth of population is helpful to the nation by improving the potential for becoming the economic superpower.
- With the rapid growth of population in the 1950s -1980s, the growth in unemployment has increased to alarming range in addition to the shortage of infrastructural facilities.
- However, the efforts of the government to control the rapid population growth proved fruitful by 1990s.
merits and demerits
- The growth of population in India has its own benefits. Some of them are of the view that the growth of population helps to overcome the shortage of manpower. This helps to improve the productivity of the nation and supports its economic growth. The population growth in India may be a factor for supporting the growth of skilled people in India.
- These consequences may support the initiatives like “make in India”. Population growth in India supports improvement in the production and export of goods in the nation. The improvement in the productivity of the nation supports improvement in industrial and technological growth of the nation. The increase in manpower supports the utilization of human resources to the greater extent and thus helps to overcome issues like unemployment and import of skilled people overseas.
- Analyzing the disadvantages of overpopulation on the grounds of the norms discussed above, even if the manpower increases with the growth of population, the opportunities of employment may not increase according to the growing needs of the people. These consequences may lead to economic inequalities and disturbances in the social life.
- In some cases, the productive age group may turn old and this huge population may lag the nation back in the economic development. Overpopulation of the country in the earlier decades is one of the reasons for migration of skilled people to overseas in search of a living. In India, above 30 percent of the population are below thepoverty line. This is the important cause for the economic underdevelopment of the nation. Overpopulation increases the intensity of the issue.
- On the other hand, uncontrolled growth in the population on communal grounds may lead to the rise of anti-social elements. However, poverty is the important issue faced by the nation for centuries. Overpopulation has the scope to grow this menace to the heights. Unemployment, poverty, economic inequalities, scarcity in resources like food and water are some of the common disadvantages faced by the nation due to overpopulation.
Conclusion
- Overpopulation may cause environmental pollution by decaying natural resources and this will show its negative impact on the healthy living of the countrymen. India achieved control on population growth by the decades of efforts and educating the common people about the disadvantages of overpopulation. If the growth of population has one advantage, statistics and socio-economic studies show 100 disadvantages associated with this issue. There will be more disadvantages with overpopulation with the negligible number of benefits related to it. The nation has been a progressive nation since decades. To promote the nation as a superpower, control of population is certainly one of the key elements.