India sitting on a population time bomb

The world’s largest democracy would then topple China and would be the world's most populous nation, surely a cause of concern given that the country does not have the requisite resources to feed so many mouths.

According to estimates revealed by the National Commission on Population, India's population is likely to be 1.19 billion by 2011. The population is likely to touch 1.4 billion by 2026.

Union Health Minister of India, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "India is estimated to increase its population by 18 million every year."

Schemes to control population
Part of the reason behind this burgeoning population is the fact that the Family Welfare Programme is not compulsory in India.

The couples resort to family planning methods according to their own whims and fancies. The voluntary nature of the program thus acts as a stumbling block and does not allow it to fulfill its stated objectives to the fullest.

Fully aware of the adverse repercussions this rapidly increasing population can have on the country, Ghulam Nabi Azad proposed two new schemes to control India's population.

First, he urged all the ‘eligible for marriage’ citizens of the country to push back marriage till they reach 30 years of age. This effectively reduces the woman's fertile years and capacity to bear children.

Second, he promulgated late-night television. He opined that late night television would enable couples busy and would not indulge in activities that lead to producing children.

Professor Arvind Pandey of the Indian Association for the Study of Population, while agreeing to health minister’s suggestions added that the key to population control is the education and empowerment of the women of the country.

Electricity the culprit
Mr. Azad opined that shortage of electricity in the rural areas was a key reason why the population was not coming under control in these areas.

"If there is electricity in every village," he said, "then people will watch TV till late at night and then fall asleep. They won't get a chance to produce children. When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies."

He clarified that he was not joking. Referring to the fact that the television would have a great impact on population control, he said, “It's (TV) a great medium to tackle the problem ... 80 per cent of population growth can be reduced through TV."