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Indian governments have implemented different policies to try to curb the country's growing population. Which has been most successful and why?Key facts
- India's population is one of the fastest growing in the world, at 1.2 billion in 2010.
- Overpopulation has become a problem for India, as resources are insufficient.
- Indian governments have implemented measures to curb the population growth.
- Measures to curb population growth include: education, contraception, incentivised sterilisation and forced sterilisation (as a form of punishment).
Transcript
India
India's population is one of the fastest growing in the world.
In 2010, its population was 1.2 billion – and by 2028 India is expected to be the most populous country in the world, overtaking China.
2028 population projections:
India 1.53 billion
China 1.46 billion
As with the global population, which has reached nearly 7 billion people, overpopulation in India is problematic.
There are not enough resources to go around.
Land, food and water supplies are becoming inadequate.
So Indian governments have implemented successive measures to curb population growth...
Voluntary Sterilisation
India, 1970s
In the 1970s, the government began to hold festivals where men could be sterilised.
These family planning festivals offered cash incentives for participants, and resulted in tens of thousands of vasectomies being performed.
But the festivals attracted the wrong sort of men – men who already had large families.
So a more aggressive tactic was introduced.
Forced Sterilisation
Sterilisation became a punishment for all types of crime.
Forced sterilisation programme:
Conducted April 1976 to January 1977
7.8 million sterilisations performed
The masses disagreed with these policies because it took away freedom of choice, and soon the government were voted out.
Education
India now relies on education and contraception to curb population growth.
Kerala, South West India
Kerala is the most densely populated state in India, but the population is stable.
This is because the people of Kerala have smaller families, by choice.
This is due to Kerala's compulsory school policy, which sees Keralans ranked amongst the most literate in the world.
Prof Irudaya Rajan, Centre for Development Studies, India – "When all girls go to school automatically they will marry very late. For example, today in Kerala the average woman marry the age of 28, whereas the states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, the girl marries at the age of 18. So at 28 these women in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have already four children, whereas Kerala girls have even not married."
The Keralan government also provides free contraception for its citizens.
But many other developing countries with fast-growing populations are unable to provide even basic education.
Meaning families in less developed countries are unlikely to make the same family planning choices as their counterparts in Kerala.
"How many children do you want to have?"
"One"
