Components of Population Growth | Sociology Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

The demographic profile of India provides a clear perspective on the population challenges faced by the country. Some key features of this profile include:

• India has a large and dense population, which is expected to grow further in the future.
• The high population growth rate in India since the 1950s has been driven by a combination of high fertility rates and declining mortality rates.
• Recently, the death rate has plateaued, and the birth rate in more than a dozen states has reached replacement levels. As a result, the current population growth can be attributed to the difference between birth and death rates in the remaining states.
• The prolonged period of high birth and death rates has resulted in a bottom-heavy age pyramid, leading to a high dependency ratio in the economy.
• In recent times, the age composition has become more favorable for economic growth, as the proportion of the population in the working-age group is increasing.
• There is a growing gender imbalance in the country, with the proportion of women in the total population gradually decreasing.
• The rural sector remains dominant in the economy, which is indicative of low overall productivity.
• Approximately one-third of the population is illiterate, highlighting the poor quality of human capital in the country.

In summary, India's demographic profile reveals a large population with a high growth rate driven by fertility and mortality rates. The age composition is becoming more favorable for economic growth, but there are challenges related to gender imbalance, rural dominance, and low levels of literacy.

Causes of Growth of Population

The rapid growth of population over the last five decades can be attributed to two main factors: (A) high fertility rates resulting in high birth rates, and (B) declining mortality rates due to better healthcare and living conditions.

• High birth rates are influenced by social and economic factors. In India, women tend to marry at an early age, and the majority of women are married by the end of their reproductive years. The proportion of women in the childbearing age group (15-49) is around 47% of the total female population. Additionally, the average age of marriage for women in India is relatively low at 18.3 years. These factors contribute to high fertility rates and, consequently, high birth rates.
• Another factor contributing to high fertility rates is the rise in natural fertility. This can be attributed to improved nutrition and healthcare, relaxation of traditional cultural practices, and reduced duration of breastfeeding. These changes are often associated with the early stages of modernization, during which the use of modern contraception methods gradually replaces traditional fertility checks.
• India's total fertility rate has been decreasing, with recent estimates at 2.8, indicating that the country is transitioning towards moderate to low fertility levels.
• On the other hand, declining death rates have also contributed to population growth. Advances in medical technology and disease control have eliminated or reduced the threat of many chronic and deadly diseases, such as plague, smallpox, and typhoid. The widespread availability of antibiotics and other life-saving medicines has significantly reduced fatalities from these diseases.
• Increased awareness and access to sanitation, cleanliness, and better maternity and post-natal care have also helped decrease mortality rates. Education plays a crucial role in reducing infant mortality rates as well.
• Furthermore, food shortages and scarcities, which previously led to devastating famines, are now rare due to improved administrative arrangements and the availability of extensive transport and communication networks.

In summary, improvements in material well-being, healthcare, and living conditions have led to a reduction in mortality rates, while social and economic factors have contributed to high fertility rates. Both of these factors have played a significant role in the rapid growth of the population in recent decades.

Effects of Population Growth on Economic Development

The rapid growth of population poses several challenges to a country's economic development. In the context of India, the increasing population has led to various problems, such as reduced savings, strain on public facilities, and a decline in the quality of the population. This necessitates the implementation of population policies and family planning measures to achieve sustainable economic growth.

• Cassen's Argument: R.H. Cassen has highlighted two main relationships through which population growth affects the economy: (i) savings effect, and (ii) composition of investment effect. The savings effect suggests that a higher population leads to a greater burden of dependency, resulting in reduced savings per capita. The investment argument posits that an increasing population necessitates a larger share of investment in unproductive facilities, such as social overhead capital, thereby altering the composition of investment in an unproductive direction.
• Coale and Hoover's Argument: Coale and Hoover identified three demographic factors adversely affecting development: the size of the population, growth rate, and age structure. These factors lead to capital shallowing, a worsening dependency ratio, and investment diversion, which together hinder economic growth. Declines in fertility can promote growth by reducing dependency ratios.

Adverse Effect on Quality of Population
Rapid population growth also negatively impacts the quality of the population. On an individual level, there is an inverse relationship between the number of children and the quality of investment per child. On an aggregate level, investments in human resource development (HRD) have not been adequate to ensure optimal health and nutrition for the growing population. This results in a large pool of substandard survivors who are resistant to family planning programs and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

Population Policy and Family Planning in India

• Given the population challenges faced by India, it is crucial to adopt a direct approach to reduce birth rates. While economic development and industrialization have been suggested as effective measures, it is important to recognize the differences between India and the developed countries of the North. India has a higher population density, a more rapid decline in mortality, limited emigration opportunities, and restricted access to markets and resources compared to the Northern countries.
• Therefore, population control is a necessary condition for accelerating economic development in India, and government intervention in population policies is essential. These policies should focus on increasing employment rates, controlling population growth, and promoting family planning.

Components of Population Policy
The population policy should emphasize the following:

1. Increase the rate of employment to eliminate unemployment among the working-age population.
2. Control the growth of the population.

• Objective of Full Employment: Full employment is a desired goal of economic planning in India. This can be achieved through capital investment, labor-intensive technology, rural industrialization, and skill development. However, it may take a few decades before the country can achieve full employment for the working-age population.
• Remedies for Population Growth: Population growth can be contained by fertility reduction or family planning. This involves limiting the number of children born to a couple and determining the spacing between them. The availability of contraceptives and other facilities has made it easier to promote family planning in India, which is the first country in the world to adopt family planning as an official policy.

In conclusion, addressing the challenges posed by population growth is crucial for India's economic development. This requires the implementation of effective population policies, family planning measures, and efforts to improve the quality of the population. By doing so, India can pave the way for sustainable economic growth and development.

Evolution of India's Population Policy 

The evolution of India's population policy has been a long and complex process, with multiple factors contributing to its development. Since the 1950s, the Indian government has recognized the importance of controlling population growth and has implemented various policies and programs to achieve this goal.

• Early efforts focused on providing family planning services, such as contraceptives and sterilization, to those who sought them out. However, it was soon realized that a more proactive and comprehensive approach was needed, and the focus shifted to educating and motivating people to adopt the small family norm. The government began to incorporate family planning into public health departments and set up family planning centers to provide a range of services related to reproductive health.
• Despite these efforts, population growth remained high, and by the 1970s, more aggressive policies were introduced, including setting targets for sterilization and encouraging the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other contraceptives. However, these measures proved to be controversial, and a shift towards a more holistic approach was required.
• The National Population Policy of 2000 marked a significant change in India's approach to population control. It emphasized the importance of a pro-poor, pro-nature, and pro-women population program, which views people as active partners in addressing the population problem rather than merely the source of the issue. The policy also aimed to meet the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure, health personnel, and integrated service delivery.
• Various suggestions have been made to popularize family planning in India, including providing credible security for families, expanding basic education opportunities (especially for females), and increasing the economic and social status of women. It is clear that a multi-pronged approach is needed to address the complex issue of population growth in India, and progress has been made in recent years. However, further efforts and strong political will are required to ensure that India achieves its population stabilization goals.

Conclusion

India's demographic profile and population growth have posed significant challenges to its economic development. To address these issues, the country has evolved its population policy over time, shifting from a focus on family planning services to a more comprehensive and holistic approach. Efforts to increase employment, control population growth, and improve the quality of the population are crucial for India's sustainable economic growth. Continued progress and strong political will are needed to achieve population stabilization goals and navigate the complexities of population growth in India.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of Nature of Population Problem in India

What are the key features of India's demographic profile?

India's demographic profile is characterized by a large and dense population, high population growth rate driven by fertility and mortality rates, a bottom-heavy age pyramid, increasing proportion of working-age population, gender imbalance, rural dominance, and low literacy levels.

What are the main causes of India's population growth?

The population growth in India is primarily due to high fertility rates resulting in high birth rates, and declining mortality rates due to better healthcare and living conditions.

How does population growth affect India's economic development?

Population growth can hinder economic development by reducing savings per capita, altering the composition of investment in an unproductive direction, worsening the dependency ratio, and negatively impacting the quality of the population.

What measures have been taken by the Indian government to control population growth?

The Indian government has implemented various population policies and family planning programs, focusing on increasing employment rates, controlling population growth, and promoting family planning. These policies include providing family planning services, setting up family planning centers, and promoting the small family norm.

What is the significance of the National Population Policy of 2000?

The National Population Policy of 2000 marked a shift in India's approach to population control, emphasizing a pro-poor, pro-nature, and pro-women population program. It aimed to meet the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure, health personnel, and integrated service delivery, viewing people as active partners in addressing the population problem.