As per a United Nations’ (UN) estimate, the current world population is approximately 7.6 billion.
India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of the geographical area. With 1.324 billion people, India currently is home to almost one-sixth of the world’s total population but is likely to overtake China as the most populous country in the next few years
Speaking about factors contributing to population growth in India Gaurang Jani said: “Better medical facilities in India in the post-independence era is one of the reasons for population growth.”
“A significant drop in child mortality rate is also one of the reasons behind the growing population. It was approximately 48 deaths per 1000 births in 2015, compared to 85 in 2000.”
As per the latest report published by the UN in 2015, the current life expectancy in India is 68.3 years, an increase of 1.4 years compared to 2013.
“Human Resource is vital for India as we have people in different age groups which is the Demographic Dividend for India.”
Prof Jani believes the human resource is vital for India as Indian population is spread over different age groups which are the Demographic Dividend for India.
Migration is frequent for Indians
The world has witnessed a high amount of migration in the last ten years and India has been one of the top ten sources of migration. According to the report published by the UN in 2015, 15.6 million people born in India have migrated to other countries.
People are migrating to other countries for better career opportunities also known as ‘Pull Migration,’ and then there is the ‘Push Migration’ whereby a lack of facilities, social and economic conditions are pushing people away, to other countries.
Professor Jani believes migration to other countries will not harm India in any way but the migration from rural to urban cities will.
Indian metro cities are now facing more problems due to migration from villages and remote areas, where fewer employment opportunities have forced people to settle in the cities.
The theme for this year’s World Population Day is "Family Planning is a Human Right."
Prof Jani says “Indian society has put family planning responsibility solely on women. These women do not have the right to decide whether their body is physically and mentally capable of pregnancy or not.”
Apart from that, India holds the highest number of child brides in the world, approximately, 27 percent of girls in India are married before the 18 years of age.
“The high rate of child marriage, especially among the girls is one of the growing concerns for India. The bride and the groom do not have proper knowledge and education about family planning which is the cause of many other social problems in our society,” said Jani.
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SBS Gujarati
11/07/201808:56
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