Population Control Bill: Modi Government’s Next Mission for New India?
Population Control Bill : India is the second most populated country in the world after China. As per the report of United Nation’s Ministry of Statistics and Program implementation, population of India is going to be close to 1.37 billion in 2019 compared to 1.35 billion in 2018. Population growth in India is projected to 1.08% in 2019. It must be noted that India is 7th largest country in the world in terms of area but 2nd most populated country in the world. In just 40 years, the country has doubled the size of its population and is expected to go ahead of China in couple of decades.
As per East Asia Forum, population of India is expected to 1.69 billion by 2050, higher than that of China’s population which is expected to be 1.31 billion in the same year. By 2050, the demand of water the global demand for water in India is projected to be more than 50 per cent of what it was in 2000. At the same time the demand for food in India is going to be doubled and even if India is able to meet the demand, it growth may not be sustainable.
PIL Against Population Explosion
In the month of May 2018, Ashwin Kumar Upadhyay moved a PIL in Delhi High Court to direct the Centre to implement population control measures on the ground that population explosion was the root cause behind rise in crimes, pollution and dearth of resources and jobs in the country. Responding to the PIL, Delhi High Court asked the Central Government to file a response on a plea seeking implementation of proposal by the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) on population control and “two child norms” as criteria for government jobs, aids and subsidies.
“Hum do Hamare Do” or two child policy is a frequently used term in our country and even advertised. Yet the nation has never followed this policy. China, since 2016 has implemented this policy replacing its one child policy. China’s “One Child Policy” was heavily criticized as a decision against human dignity and rights. However, the policy helped nation curb its population by 400 million as per report in East India Forum. The policy was however converted to “Two Child Policy” in 2016 owing to the concern of ageing population and slow economic growth.
Read: Article 370- Congress Party’s existential Dilemma Worsens
Modi’s Independent Day Speech
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his independent day speech for the first time spoke about the population control in India. He labelled population control a form of patriotism. In his address to nation from Red fort, he said, “Population explosion will cause many problems for our future generations. But there is a vigilant section of public which stops to think, before bringing a child to the world, whether they can do justice to the child, give them all that she or he wants. They have a small family and express their patriotism to the country. Let’s learn from them. There is need of social awareness.”
In his speech PM Modi termed the population explosion to be a growth concern. He considered that if population explosion is left unchecked could go against efforts to bring millions of people out of poverty and undo the benefits of higher welfare spending for the poor. “There is one issue I want to highlight today: population explosion. We have to think, can we do justice to the aspirations of our children? There is a need to have greater discussion and awareness on population explosion,” Modi said while addressing nation in his 1st Independence Day Speech after taking oath as Prime Minister for 2nd Term.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath also urged people of his state to rise above sect, caste and religion and think about the population control. In a message to 23 crore population of Uttar Pradesh, he tweeted saying, “I request UP’s 23 crore population to take inspiration from our prime minister’s message, ‘Nuclear family is an expression of patriotism’. Spread this message among the masses and make population control a movement.”
Outcome
The 2nd Term of Modi government has witnessed historic decisions been made. Be it making Triple Talaq a crime or abrogation of Article 370, Modi 2.0 is working in a super fast mode to fulfill the promises that it made. Narendra Modi speaking about the population control from Red Fort is a clear indication of his government considering bringing a Population Control bill for it in next Parliament session. If so happens, it will be a yet again landmark decision of Modi government. Growing population has been a matter of concern for India. For good health services, better education, roads, drinking water and other basic facilities population control is one of the major steps towards it and thereby a positive step towards “Naya Bharat”.
Nitesh Singh
Title: Population Control Bill: Modi Government’s Next Mission for New India?