Population growth
India is now passing through the phase of population explosion. It is being argued that this situation has arisen because economic development in this Country has failed to maintain pace with population growth.
As far as the size of population is concerned, India ranks second in the world next to China. India’s landscape is just 2.4% of the total world area, whereas its population is nearly 16.85% of the world population. These facts clearly indicate that the pressure of population on the land in this Country is very high.
Causes of rapid increase in population in India are:
1. Declining Death Rate: The death rate in India is continuously declining. The main reasons are:
· After 1921, no big epidemic has taken place. Govt. has full control over the epidemics like malaria, cholera, plague etc.
· There is increase in the medical facilities. Now we find hospitals in most of the villages.
· After the famine of 1943, no big famine took place in India.
· Infant mortality has come down because of trained nurses.
· Due to the development of science less mortality takes place.
2. High Birth Rate: The main reasons for high birth rate are:
· Universal Marriage: Marriage is universal among all sections of our population.
· Early Marriage: Early marriage is so common in this Country that most of the girls (85%) are married during the age group of 15-20 years, when they are the most fertile.
· Lack of Education & Understanding: The phenomenon of high birth rate in India can also be attributed to widespread illiteracy & lack of understanding.
· Fatalism: Indian people are conservative, orthodox & fatalist which is another cause of high birth rate in the Country.
· Poverty: Masses in India are extremely poor & this is also responsible for bringing about higher birth rates.
· Lack of Preventive & birth control Devices: Artificial methods of birth control & family planning are practically unknown & expensive with the result population increases at a fast rate.
· Social Backwardness of Women: In India near about 76% of the population lives in rural areas. The condition of women in India is not good. They are considered the child-producing machines.
· Joint Family System: It continues to characterize our social life. This feature has also contributed to the rapid growth of population in the Country.
· Preference for Male Child: An intense desire to have son also leads to high birth rate. This desire is based on economic reasons. It is expected that sons provide economic help to the parents when they are sick or old.
· High Infant Mortality: In India’s population there is big share of infants. The parents are not satisfied with 2 or 3 children for they are not certain if all will survive. Thus as a precaution they prefer more & more children.
THREE STAGES OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION
According to the theory of Demographic Transition, every country passes through three stages of demographic transition. These stages are empirically verifiable.
In the first stage, both birth & death rates are high. Hence the population remains more or less stable. Generally in backward economies per capita incomes & standard of living is low. People live an inadequate & unbalanced diet. Under these circumstances when medical facilities are limited, the mortality rate is bound to be high. Besides, lack of education, superstitious & such other social evils result in high birth rates. Thus in the first stage of demographic transition high death rate is matched by an equally high death rate, as such, population remains stable over a long period.
The second stage of demographic transition is characterized by rapid growth of population because despite substantial reduction in the mortality rate there is no corresponding decline in the birth rate. With the beginning of the process of development, the living standards of the people improve, the education expands, medical & health facilities increase & governments make special efforts to check small pox, malaria, -plague, cholera etc. these developments generally bring down the death rates. But as long as society remains primarily agrarian & the education remains confined to a narrow section of the society, attitude of the people towards the size of family does not change & the birth rate remains high. In the second stage, the birth rate generally stays around 35-40 per thousand, whereas, the death rate comes down to roughly 15 per thousand. Consequently, population increases at a rapid rate.
In the third stage of demographic transition, the birth rate declines significantly & thus the rate of population growth remains low.
A country can hope to overcome the problem of population explosion if the process of industrialization accompanied by urbanization is fast & education becomes widespread. Only in this situation birth rate shows a tendency to fall.