Our teeming masses

India's population is slated to be 1.52 billion in 15 years; a growth of 25 per cent since 2011. We will overtake China as the most populated country in the world in 2031 and not as predicted earlier to be 2022. We have successfully managed to delay our staggering numbers through government-driven effective awareness programmes and the usage and popularity of birth control. This week, discussions have been rife around our purportedly bursting-at-the-seams population and the desire by some to control it. For years, a country as populous as ours has struggled because of our ever-increasing numbers. Too many mouths to feed, too many subsidies to provide, too few paying taxes that must provide an umbrella over many. In the time of any crisis or emergency, such as the current pandemic, it becomes crystal clear that countries such as New Zealand or even the US, have eventually handled Covid-19 better mainly due to lesser masses. Less population also means the ability to maintain social distancing.

Managing the masses indeed becomes tougher when there are so many of them that need looking after. But with experts suggesting that India's population is actually not burgeoning but rather declining and likely to stabilise at 1.5 billion, the time for drastic population control measures is long past. Sanjay Gandhi tried it as part of the Indira Gandhi government by enforcing forced sterilisation in 1975. Eventually, the forceful and violent methods proved to be disastrous, and the common man's decision made in the ballot box sealed the fate of the incumbent government. The banality of the move is represented eloquently in the satirical comedy film, 'Nasbandi'.

According to reports, the majority of India's population growth (54 per cent) is coming from a few states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh — between 2011 and 2036. Compared to that the five southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana will contribute only 9 per cent. I still believe that incentivising family planning can still be a good idea – rebates on utility bills, health and insurance cover, etc. can help families choose without being coerced. Disincentives, however, scare people and that can pave the path for violence, unsafe abortion, sex selection of child etc.

Our crowded urban centres, congested living conditions, and breathless traffic are a stark reminder of our population. One of the reasons that I love the outdoors and open spaces is precisely to escape the madding crowd. Our cities are choked with people, cars, and pollution. Even a single torrential downpour floods our streets, and it's the same story in all the metros. More and more people stream into the metropolitan cities in search of livelihood. They leave behind pristine mountains, idyllic farmlands to join the urban grind, live in dingy holes, without access to sanitation and amenities. We need to focus greatly on building satellite towns, industrial hubs, and suburbs outside our clogged metros. With good infrastructure and employment opportunities outside the metros, the cities can be allowed to breathe. The newer habitats must be planned with a foresight to handle our large population. People will go where ever there are jobs and employment; we must focus on that. Governments, both central and state, can incentivise big and small businesses that are ready to do business outside the top cities. The pandemic has changed work culture, and many such as Zerodha's Nithin Kamath, have spoken about establishing business centres outside the cities. With India's current digital prowess and connectivity, there is no better time than now to achieve this.

China's strict 'one-child family' policy has now been reversed by the country because not only did their population fall, they also became older. India's strength has been its young demography, whose proportion is already reducing. In 2011, over 50 per cent of us were below 24 years of age, by 2036, only 34.7 per cent will be under-24 years. The median age will also rise by 10 years to almost 35 years by 2036. News reports citing population projection suggest that 13 big and industrialised states will have an older working-class with a median age of 40.5 years in Tamil Nadu, 39.6 years in Kerala and Maharashtra, 39.5 years in Himachal Pradesh, 38.9 years in Punjab, and 38.8 years in West Bengal. Therefore, instead of population control, we need to focus on improving the quality of lives and livelihoods, and harnessing the true power of India's young demography.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal