Important Questions & Answers: Demographic Structure & Indian Society - 2

Q.21. Give the main features of the Indian population.

Ans: According to the Census of India 2011, the main features of the Indian population are as follows:

• India is the second most populous country in the world with a total population of 1210 million (1.21 billion or 121 crores) (Table 1).
• The average annual growth rate declined to 1.63% during 2001-2011 (Table 1).
• Age structure (2011): 0-14 years = 29%, 15-59 years = 63%, 60+ years = 8% (Table 2). India has a very young population.
• Sex ratio (2011): 943 females per 1000 males (overall) and 919 for the child sex ratio (0-6 years) (Table 3).
• Literacy rate (2011, population 7 years and above): 73.0% total; males 80.9%; females 64.6% (male-female gap = 16.3%) (Table 4).
• Rural-urban distribution (2011): Rural population = 68.8%, Urban population = 31.2% (Table 5).

Q.22. What are the reasons for a higher birth rate in India?

Ans: 

• Cultural belief that more children provide more hands to work and support the family in future.
• Low literacy and limited awareness about contraception and family planning.
• Improvements in health care reduced infant and child mortality but have not always been matched by family planning adoption.
• Lack of wide availability and use of birth control methods in some areas.
• Early marriage and child marriage increase the reproductive span, raising birth rates.

Q.23. How is population explosion responsible for our lower standard of living?

Ans: Population explosion lowers the standard of living through several linked effects:

• If population grows faster than national income, per capita income falls, reducing people's purchasing power and living standards.
• Higher population increases demand for limited resources (food, housing, water), causing shortages and higher prices.
• Public services such as health, education and sanitation become overstretched, which harms health and work efficiency.
• Higher unemployment and poverty follow if job creation does not keep pace with population growth.

Q.24. How increasing population could be controlled? Give two ways.

Ans: 

• Increase agricultural productivity and develop industries so national and per capita incomes rise; higher incomes tend to reduce fertility as families choose to have fewer children.
• Promote education, especially of girls and women; education raises awareness about family planning and delays age at marriage, contributing to lower birth rates.

Q.25. What are the demerits of more population?

Ans: 

• Increased problems of poverty and unemployment due to limited jobs and resources.
• Lower average standard of living as per capita income falls.
• Deterioration of public health and hygiene because services are overstretched.
• Food insecurity and pressure on agricultural production.
• Slower economic development as national income and capital formation are strained.

Q.26. What was the population of India in 1951 and 2001?

Ans: In 1951 the population of India was 36.11 crore; about 29.9 crore lived in rural areas and 6.2 crore in urban areas. By 2001 the population had grown to 102.70 crore, with about 74.2 crore in rural areas and 28.5 crore in urban areas.

Q.27. What is Family Planning?

Ans: Family planning means deliberately choosing the number and spacing of children so that family income can adequately meet needs. It aims to improve the standard of living and health of family members by using information and methods to avoid unintended pregnancies.

Q.28. Tell something about Sex Ratio in India.

Ans: Sex ratio in India is a matter of concern because it has been declining in many regions. A strong preference for male children has led to practices such as prenatal sex selection and female foeticide, reducing the number of females. Only a small number of states have a higher number of females than males. The following image gives further data:

Q.29. Show and explain the distribution of sex ratio in India on the outline political map of India.

Ans: The map shows regional differences in sex ratio. States such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and some others have relatively higher sex ratios (closer to or above 1000:950), while prosperous states like Punjab and Haryana show much lower ratios (around 1000:880). This demonstrates significant inequality across regions in the balance between males and females.

Q.30. Explain regional variations of low child sex ratio in India. 

Ans: Regional patterns of low child sex ratio show that:

• Some of the lowest child sex ratios occur in relatively prosperous regions.
• States such as Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh-despite higher per capita incomes-show very low child sex ratios.
• The practice of sex-selective abortion and preference for a son, rather than poverty alone, explains much of the decline.
• Wealthier families who choose to have fewer children may use technology to select the sex, which lowers the child sex ratio.

Q.31. The family programme suffered during the period of National emergency. Give reasons.

Ans: The Family Planning programme suffered during the Emergency because:

• The government introduced a coercive mass sterilisation drive that targeted large numbers of the poor and powerless.
• People were forcibly sterilised in many instances, creating fear and resentment.
• There was heavy pressure on lower-level officials, teachers and workers to mobilise people for sterilisation camps.
• Widespread popular opposition grew against these coercive methods, undermining trust in family planning.

Q.32. Why is it necessary to reduce the birth rate in India?

Ans: 

• To avoid population explosion and the strain it places on resources.
• To prevent a fall in per capita income and to support better economic development.
• To ensure adequate food supply and reduce pressure on agriculture.
• To reduce poverty and unemployment by improving resource distribution.
• To lessen the requirement for very large public and private investment to meet basic needs.

Q.33. Give the main features of the National Population Policy 2000.

Ans: The National Population Policy of the year 2000 formulated a new set of guidelines as part of the National Family Welfare Programme. Its broad objectives were to influence the rate and pattern of population growth in socially desirable directions.

The main features included:

• Reducing infant and maternal mortality rates.
• Encouraging later marriage for girls.
• Ensuring complete registration of births, deaths and marriages.
• Providing free and compulsory education to children up to the age of 14.
• Promoting family planning services and reproductive health care.
• Preventing the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Q.34. Why is population control necessary?

Ans: Population control is important because it:

• Raises per capita income by allowing resources to be shared among fewer people.
• Increases savings and capital formation, aiding economic growth.
• Improves the standard of living by making goods and services more accessible.
• Helps reduce poverty and unemployment by easing pressure on jobs and resources.
• Enables greater public expenditure on welfare, health and education.

Q.35. How population affects economic development?

Ans: Population size and growth influence economic development in several ways:

• High population growth raises consumption needs, which can outstrip production and deplete resources quickly.
• If production does not keep pace with population, national income per person falls and the country may become poorer.
• Lower population growth (or a controlled growth) can make it easier to raise per capita income, improve living standards and sustain resources.

Q.36. What are the merits of less population?

Ans: 

• Higher standard of living for most people.
• Better health conditions due to less strain on health services.
• More employment opportunities and reduced unemployment.
• Reduction in poverty as resources are more evenly distributed.
• Greater chance that individual needs and services can be met.

Q.37. Which two checks of population control are given by Malthus?

Ans: 

• Positive Checks: Natural events that raise the death rate and reduce population, for example, famines, epidemics, wars and natural disasters. These checks are painful and reduce population size but are not desirable or humane as a policy.
• Preventive Checks: Human actions that reduce the birth rate, such as moral restraint (delaying marriage, limiting family size) and artificial methods of birth control. Malthus regarded moral checks as preferable; he was critical of artificial measures on some moral grounds.

Q.38. Why the programme of Family Planning was not very successful in India?

Ans: Several reasons limited the success of family planning in India:

• Religious and cultural beliefs: Many people attribute births to fate and do not adopt family planning.
• Poor access to and limited use of contraception and family planning services in some areas.
• Low literacy and lack of awareness about the benefits of smaller families.
• Inadequate funding and resources for the programme at times, reducing its reach and effectiveness.

Q.39. Why is Urbanization increasing?

Ans: 

• Industrialisation has created more urban jobs.
• Better facilities in towns and cities, such as education and healthcare, attract people.
• Greater employment opportunities and services are available in urban areas.
• Perceived better security and higher living standards draw rural people to cities.

Q.40. In what way formal demography is different from social demography? 

Ans:

Formal demography: Emphasises quantitative aspects - measurement, statistical analysis, enumeration and mathematical methods to study population size, structure and change.

Social demography:

• Focuses on social, economic and political causes and consequences of population patterns.
• Examines how social processes and structures (like family, education, gender relations) shape demographic behaviour.
• Seeks to trace the social resources and institutional contexts behind population trends.

Q.41. "Literacy as a prerequisite to education is an instrument of empowerment." Discuss.

Ans: Literacy is a key instrument of empowerment because:

• It expands awareness of health, rights, careers and civic duties, enabling fuller participation in economic and social life.
• Literacy improves access to better jobs and the knowledge economy, increasing opportunities for individuals and communities.
• Gender and social inequalities in literacy reproduce wider inequalities across generations.
• Large regional variations in literacy mean that improving literacy can reduce regional disparities and strengthen local development.