Why is population explosion more of a myth than reality in India?

Ground Report | New Delhi: Why is population explosion; The debate around the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization, and Welfare) Bill, 2021 raises the question of whether it is necessary or whether it is against Muslims. However, the bill has implications for all Muslims and non-Muslims in UP.

Experts warn against a "coercive" two-child policy that denies female agency, which is deeply rooted and an extreme preference for sons. This can increase the rate of female feticide and feticide, further destabilizing the sex ratio. This is when the bill aims to stabilize the population to achieve sustainable development with more 'equitable distribution. But at the same time, it deprives those people of welfare schemes and promotions in government jobs who do not follow the policy. It violates their constitutional rights in a democracy and studies confirm the same.

Dismissing the mainstream narrative, Sachin Mampta in Livemint (2018) wrote that the Muslim population growth rate, which is 14%, is falling faster than the Hindu population growth rate, and if the current trend continues, So four out of five Indians would still be Hindus when their population peaked.

Experts have emphasized resource allocation and awareness at the community level. Here, we look at some important data that's missing from our mainstream media.

According to a government estimate, UP's fertility rate nearly halved from 4.82 in 1993 to 2.7 in 2016 - and is expected to touch 2.1 by 2025. Fertility rates have fallen below replacement level in 19 of India's 22 states and union territories - 2.1 births per woman - for which data has been released in the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The figures for the remaining nine states including UP are not ready yet.

Of the nearly 36 percent of Indian couples who have given more than two children, Hindus account for 83 percent, compared to only 13 percent of Muslim couples. Even among Hindus, the share of the socially disadvantaged is quite large. (Why is population explosion)

Better literacy among women is one of the reasons for low TFR (Total Fertility Rate) in South Indian states. According to the NFHS, women in Assam and Karnataka had literacy rates of 77.2% and 76.2% and their TFRs were 1.9 and 1.7 respectively, well below replacement level fertility. In Uttar Pradesh, the TFR was 3.2 for illiterate women who had not completed primary level education at 3.8 and 2.6 for graduates.

A woman's caste also plays a role here, with 38% of women in SC and ST communities having more than two children, compared to 29% of women in upper caste communities. Reports suggest that the second-child policy in Odisha affects women of reproductive age since 1994 when the contesting age was reduced from 21 to 26. The pressure on women to undergo sterilization, to ensure the heirs of the men, also increases gender-selective and unsafe abortions.

A study by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Nirmala Buch on laws restricting eligibility for people with more than two children in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan concluded that the two-child norms are democratic and democratic of individuals. infringe reproductive rights. According to the Center's Economic Survey of 2018-19, 62.5% of India's population is between the ages of 15 and 59 and is expected to peak in 2041. (Why is population explosion)

A paper in the medical journal Reproductive Health states that the use of sterilization as a means of family planning was just 18% among women in Uttar Pradesh, compared to the national average of 36%. Sterilization did not contribute significantly to the decline in fertility rates. Instead, the decline in fertility in Uttar Pradesh was driven by an increase in the use of contraceptive methods among married women.

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