World Population Day is celebrated every year on July 11 to raise awareness about global demographic issues and their impact on society. This year's theme is "Leave no one behind, count everyone."
With a population of approximately 142.86 crore, India has overtaken China to become the world's most populous nation, according to UNFPA's State of World Population Report 2023.
Speaking to IANS, Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI), said that although India has become the most populous nation in the world, "we have reached replacement level fertility rate."
"This means that the average number of children born per woman is sufficient to keep the population size stable from one generation to the next," he explained.
However, due to the large proportion of young people, India's population will continue to grow.
"However, we have made notable progress towards stabilizing the population," Poonam said.
However, he called for a change of focus, namely women, youth and marginalized communities.
“Reproductive rights, access to resources, and health and well-being outcomes for these groups remain inadequate,” Poonam said.
There are approximately 24 million women with an unmet need for family planning, meaning they want to stop or delay childbearing but lack access or ability to use contraception.
"The next budget must increase investment in family planning, especially in modern and durable contraceptives, as addressing these needs is crucial to achieving equitable and sustainable development," the PFI chief said.
This was also advocated by Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda, who called for "healthy timing and spacing between pregnancies for the health and well-being of the mother and child."
Population increases also create congestion and deplete human health resources.
"It also adds burden to our already overburdened infrastructure, deprives people of basic amenities, causes water scarcity and issues related to hygiene and sewerage," M Wali, senior consultant, Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told IANS. .
Overcrowding can also worsen healthcare indices such as morbidity and mortality, as the screening and preventive healthcare needs of the population (especially vulnerable sectors such as women, children and the elderly) are not adequately met.
"Emotionalizing women is an effective strategy to keep the problem of overpopulation under control. Educated women are more likely to exercise their reproductive rights, that is, use contraceptives and motivate their partners to do the same, plan families and consider termination of unwanted pregnancies are also more likely to understand the importance of having small, healthy families," Isha Wadhawan of Fortis Faridabad told IANS.
With a population of approximately 142.86 crore, India has overtaken China to become the world's most populous nation, according to UNFPA's State of World Population Report 2023.
Speaking to IANS, Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI), said that although India has become the most populous nation in the world, "we have reached replacement level fertility rate."
"This means that the average number of children born per woman is sufficient to keep the population size stable from one generation to the next," he explained.
However, due to the large proportion of young people, India's population will continue to grow.
"However, we have made notable progress towards stabilizing the population," Poonam said.
However, he called for a change of focus, namely women, youth and marginalized communities.
“Reproductive rights, access to resources, and health and well-being outcomes for these groups remain inadequate,” Poonam said.
There are approximately 24 million women with an unmet need for family planning, meaning they want to stop or delay childbearing but lack access or ability to use contraception.
"The next budget must increase investment in family planning, especially in modern and durable contraceptives, as addressing these needs is crucial to achieving equitable and sustainable development," the PFI chief said.
This was also advocated by Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda, who called for "healthy timing and spacing between pregnancies for the health and well-being of the mother and child."
Population increases also create congestion and deplete human health resources.
"It also adds burden to our already overburdened infrastructure, deprives people of basic amenities, causes water scarcity and issues related to hygiene and sewerage," M Wali, senior consultant, Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told IANS. .
Overcrowding can also worsen healthcare indices such as morbidity and mortality, as the screening and preventive healthcare needs of the population (especially vulnerable sectors such as women, children and the elderly) are not adequately met.
"Emotionalizing women is an effective strategy to keep the problem of overpopulation under control. Educated women are more likely to exercise their reproductive rights, that is, use contraceptives and motivate their partners to do the same, plan families and consider termination of unwanted pregnancies are also more likely to understand the importance of having small, healthy families," Isha Wadhawan of Fortis Faridabad told IANS.
