Demographic Features Of Indian Population,size And Growth Of 6e661

Demographic features of indian population,size and growth of population and economic development. Problem of over population , population policy

THE THREE STAGES OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION • According to neo-Malthusians, population problem is an inevitable result of the reproductive behaviour of man . However, the theory of Demographic Transition rejects this. • According to the Theory of Demographic Transition, every country es through three stages of demographic transition. These stages are empricially verifiable.

• First Stage: • In first stage, both birth and death rates are high . Hence, the population remains more or less stable. HIGH MORTALITY RATE

HIGH BIRTH RATE

• For example, children contribute at an early age to agrarian production and are traditional source of security in the old age of parents • In the first stage of demographic transition, high birth rate is matched by an equally high death rate, and thus, population remains stable over a long period.

• Second Stage • The Second Stage of demographic transition is characterised by rapid growth of population because despite substantial reduction in the mortality rate there is no corresponding decline in the birth rate. REDUCTION IN MORTALITY RATE

• Government makes special efforts to check smallpox, malaria, cholera, plague etc bring down the mortality rate. HIGH BIRTH RATE As soon as society remains agrarian and the education remains confined to a narrow section of the society, attitude of the family towards the size of the family does not change and the birth rate remains high. In this situation population increases at a alarming rate.

• In a country where economy has not grown adequately for a long time and a sizable section of population has remained below the poverty line, this is really a grave situation . Economists call in population explosion.

• Third Stage:

SIZE AND GROWTH OF POPULATION SIZE OF POPULATION In of population India ranks second in the world next to China. India’s landscape is just 2.4 percent of the total world area whereas its population is nearly 17.5 percent of the world population. The national income of India is presently even less than 1.2 percent of the total world income. India’s population according to the census of 2011 is 121.09 crore . According to the census of 1901 the population of the country was 23.83 crore. Since than in a period of 110 yrs the population of the country has increased by more than 97 crore.

Current year

Population in crore

1901

23.83

1951

36.11

1961

Decadal growth Average annual (percent) growth rate (percent) ---------

Density of population (per sq. km)

0.18

77

13.31

1.25

117

43.92

21.64

1.96

142

1971

54.82

24.80

2.20

177

1981

68.33

24.66

2.22

216

1991

84.64

23.87

2.16

267

2001

102.87

21.54

1.97

325

2011

121.09

17.72

1.64

382

• RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH • 1950’s :- There has been rapid decline in the mortality rate due to

improved medical facilities. So growth rate of population was 1.25 percent. • 1951-1961 :- The planning commission and the census commissioner had envisaged a continuation of 1941-51 trend in 1951-61 . So the population growth turned out to be 1.96 percent. • 1961-1971 :- The rate of population growth was 2.20 percent per annum. • 1981-1991 :- The rate of population growth was 2.16 percent which was more less same as 1960’s-1970’s population growth rate . Thus the expectations that the rate of population growth would decline significantly in responses to the family planning programme of the government did not come true .

• Registrar General’s population projections said that population growth rate will decline by 1.84 percent during 1990’s, these projection turned out to be incorrect. • 2001 :- The growth rate of population remained as high as 1.97 percent per annum. • 2001-2011 :- The growth rate of population has come down to 1.64 percent per annum.

BIRTH AND DEATH RATE • From 1951 to 2013 there was only some decline in the birth rate . However death rate declined significantly.

• From 1901 to 1921 birth rate and death rate were almost equal . That is why population did not rise in this period. • In the second decade of 20th century infant mortality rate was 218 per 1000 lives births, whereas in 2013 it was 40 per 1000 live births . Small pox which took heavy toll of lives has been completely eradicated . Other child diseases have also being checked and thus infant mortality rate has come down . • Death rate brought down due to improved medical facilities. • During the last six decades, in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Goa the birth rate decline significantly . Due to socio-economic conditions the birth rate still remain high in other states.

Population growth and economic development In India, the existing population is an obstacle to economic development, considering the available utilisable resources and the level of technological progress. However, there are certain economist who argue the population growth is not an obstacle.

POPULATION GROWTH IS AN OBSTACLE • In India some of the gains of economic growth have been wasted on ing the growing population. •If India's population growth had been modest ,the country’s development performance would have looked far more impressive. •The rapid population growth adversely affect the employment situations ,standard of living etc.

REASONS FOR WHICH POPULATION GROWTH IS REGARDED AS AN OBSTACLE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT : 

POPULATION GROWTH AND THE DECLINING LAND-MAN RATIO

• In the first place , it is asserted that the pressure of population on land has been steadily increasing and with it land- man ratio is becoming increasingly adverse. • According to 2011 census, the density of population in the country is 382 per sq.km. as against 117 per sq.km. • This increase in density of population is an alarming situation. • Due to rapid growth of population over the years , it’s pressure on agriculture land has increased and cultivable land per capita has declined.

•The growing pressure of population on land has also resulted in sub- division and fragmentation of holdings. On these fragmented holdings, there is not much scope for raising the farmer productivity.

ADVERSE IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT SITUATIONS • The rapidly increasing population of the developing country has resulted in large-scale unemployment. • Because of the failure of the secondary and tertiary sectors to expand employment opportunities at a fast rate , more and more people have to fall back on agriculture to eke out of living. • This lead to disguised unemployment.

ADVERSE IMPACT ON PER CAPITA INCOME AND STANDARD OF LIVING • Rapid growth of population in the developing countries has made it difficult to raise the level of per capita income and the standard of living of masses. • The pressure of population on land has increased leading, in turn, to low agricultural productivity and large scale disguised unemployment. • Hence it will result in low per capita income and low standard of living. • Due to rapid growth of population the aim of self reliance can not not be achieved .

SHORTAGE AND IMPORT OF FOOD GRAINS • Because of the rising population , the demand for food in • • • •

many developing countries is increasing rapidly. However because of low agricultural productivity the supply of food grains has failed to keep pace with their increasing demand. This will lead to serious food crisis. This has forced the developing countries to resort to large scale imports of food grains off and on. Sometimes it leads to serious balance of payments crisis due to more imports and less exports.

ADVERSE EFFECT OF FEEDING GROWING POPULATION • With rapidly growing population , it become necessary for the government to arrange for adequate surplus of food grains for growing masses. • The price incentives have to be provided to farmers to encourage them to produce more. • At the same time it become necessary to provide ample quantity of food grains at low prices to a large number of people whose incomes are very low. • As a result the burden of food subsidy increases to very high level and the resources that could have been used for increasing production and productivity level in the economy are used up just to provide for the consumption need of the population..

PREVENTS CHANGE IN OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION • Rapid population growth prevents change in occupational distribution of population in a backward economy. • Since most low income economies can not afford to risk large-scale unemployment , rapid population growth in these countries “postpones the transformation of traditional economy into one dominated by manufacturing sector”. • This is not only because of the agricultural requirement of growing numbers, but also because of the relative investment costs of job creation in agriculture and manufacturing.

POPULATION GROWTH IS NOT AN OBSTACLE

• Some economist argue that the population growth is not an obstacle to economic growth.

The propositions put forward by the economists who argue that population growth is not an obstacle to economic development are : THE PROBLEM IS NOT POPULATION GROWTH BUT , RATHER, OTHER ISSUES • Some economists argue that the real problem is underdevelopment and not the • • • • •

population growth . Some economist argue that the developed countries having one-fourth of world’s population consume almost 80% of the world resources. Therefore, an average consumer of the developed countries uses up almost sixteen times as much of the world’s food , energy and material resources . The low level of living in the developing countries are due to over consumption by rich countries . Therefore it is the rich nation who need to curb their “overconsumption”. Hence the consumption habit in rich countries is the problem, and not the population growth.

FALSE ISSUE DELIBERATELY CREATED BY DOMINANT RICH- COUNTRY • Population growth is an false issue created by dominant rich country agencies and institution to keep the less developed countries in their underdeveloped , dependent conditions . • By blaming the poor countries for their own poverty , the rich nations get an easy escape for their own misdeeds and imperialist policies which have been responsible historically , to a large extent, for the underdevelopment of the poor countries.

POPULATION GROWTH IS DESIRABLE • For many developing countries and regions population growth is desirable. • A number of countries in Africa and Latin America have small population. It is “under population” that is holding back growth because it leads to non – utilization of cultivable land, low demand for industrial goods resulting in low industrial production etc. • Hence in those countries development has been held back due to deficiency of aggregate demand.

PROBLEM OF OVER POPULATION

POPULATION POLICY