Dealing with Population Growth - Assessing State Control

What is the issue?

There are various demands in recent days for state control on population, on the grounds of a perceived “population explosion” in the country.
However, the true picture is different that calls for support rather than control, to make population growth an opportunity.

What is the true population scenario?

The Economic Survey 2018-19 refutes the above claims of “population explosion”.
The Survey notes that India is set to witness a sharp slowdown in population growth in the next two decades.
The fact is that by the 2030s, some States will start transitioning to an ageing society.
[Generally, nations slowly move toward a stable population as fertility rates fall, which is the case now in India.
The fertility rates fall over time with an improvement in social and economic development indices.]

What are the demands on state control?

to all political parties to enact population control laws
to annul the voting rights of those having more than two children
for the government to enact a law where the third child should not be allowed to vote and enjoy facilities provided by the government

The demand for state controls on the number of children a couple can have is not a new one.
It takes lead from the perception that a large and growing population is at the root of a nation’s problems.
This is because, with population growth, more and more people chase fewer and fewer resources.

Is state control a wise measure?

Population growth is seen as a problem that needs to be ‘controlled’.
But in reality, population is a thriving resource, the life blood of a growing economy.
Given this, a state control approach will undo all the good work that has been done and lead to a weaker and poorer health delivery system.
In this light, the implications of state control approach are deep and wide.
This is because the argument is based purely on numbers and a rule that, it would seem, applies to all sections equally.
However, in contrast, such an approach would, in effect, have in place a kind of discrimination, worse than physical attacks or social prejudice.
This is so because it breaks the poor and the weak bit by bit, and in a very subtle way.
[A citizen will be denied his or her basic rights if he or she is born as the third child.]

How does state control affect the poor?

Family health, child survival and the number of children a woman has are closely related to the health and education levels of the parents, especially the woman.
So, the poorer the couple, the more the children they tend to have. This is because, when it comes to the poor, -
1. child survival is low
2. son preference remains high
3. children lend a helping hand, and support the economic and emotional needs of the family
The National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) notes that women in the lowest wealth quintile have an average of 1.6 more children than women in the highest wealth quintile.
Similarly, the number of children per woman declines with a woman’s level of schooling.
Women with no schooling have an average 3.1 children, compared with 1.7 children for women with 12 or more years of schooling.

These reveal the depth of the connections among health, education and inequality.
Evidently, those having little access to health and education are caught in a cycle of poverty, leading to more and more children.
So, state control on the number of children could burden the weakest more.

What are the alternative measures?

NPP 2000 - A forward-looking National Population Policy (NPP) was introduced in 2000 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
The key feature was the government’s commitment to citizens’ voluntary and informed choice and consent in reproductive health care services.
This came along with a “target free approach” in administering family planning services.
This is a position reiterated by various governments, including the present government.
Lifecycle framework - A similar “lifecycle framework” was proposed by the earlier Health Minister, J.P. Nadda.
It looks to the health and nutrition needs of mother and child well after the pregnancy and childbirth period too.
It covers right from the time of conception till the child grows, carrying on till the adolescent stage and further.
This argument is not about denying services but about offering choices and a range of services to mother and child.
It comes with a clear understanding that the demographic dividend can support growth and drive opportunity for all only when the population is healthy.

What should be done?

The damage done when mishandling issues of population growth is long lasting.
Today, as many as 23 States and UTs, including all the States in the south region, already have fertility below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
So, ‘support’ rather than population ‘control’ works better at this juncture.
Family Planning programme in India should be target free and voluntary in nature.
People should be let free to choose a family planning method best suited to them as per their reproductive right.

Source: The Hindu