Problem of Overpopulation in India
Overpopulation refers to a situation when the number of people in a country exceeds the resources that the country has to meet their needs.
Overpopulation refers to a situation when the population grows to an extent that creates problem and hurdle in the social and economic growth of a nation.
Overpopulation refers to a population that is too large and thus poses a problem. Of course, this depends on the context.
Overpopulation is one the biggest problem for India. It is the root cause of poverty and poor health. The rate of increase of population, especially during the last sixty-five years has been really alarming. The standard of living has gone miserably low.
Beside the social well-being, the economic prosperity of a modern nation is dependent on the rate of its population growth. A balance growth of population is desirable for economic growth and development. Overpopulation, on the other hand, puts a strain on the available resources, hinders economic growth, disturbs the food and water supply, and exhausts the available fuel. Internationally speaking, population pressure ultimately leads to political tensions, envy and distrust, and sometimes even to war.
During the last few years, India has become more and more aware of the problem of population explosion. Thanks to the Government’s progressive policy, the Planning Commission’s careful analyses and the contributions made by various experts, the people – particularly the Middle Classes – have awakened to the implications of a large family in the context of a fixed salary’.
During the first seventeen years of our freedom, while more land was brought under cultivation and more food raised, and more factories were set up and more industrial goods created, the economic life of the average person did not improve appreciably because, notwithstanding and augmentation of commodities and services, the number of consumers increased even more. In a word, this means that demographically India is running so fast that economically she has to stand still.
‘Population control will not solve all our problems, but other problems will not be solved without population control’, says Dr. Bhabha, the eminent Indian scientist. Again, we realize – especially in the context of Indian situation – that birth control is not the sole answer to the problem. The answer lies in an integrated programme, comprising improved land use, conservation of soil, water, forests and grass-lands, and technical assistance. And all these have to be undertaken on an international, rather than merely national scale.
To conclude, the threat presented by the problem of overpopulation to economic progress and world-peace is obvious. A developing country, like India, cannot afford this, in her present socio-economic context. The resulting economic frustration will create resentment among her poverty-tossed masses.
Thus, the first and foremost thing for such developing countries, like India, is to control population growth to promote their own economic well-being and, indirectly, contributing to the peace of the entire world.
