Population explosion, demographic change and taxpayer concerns

Summary: The population explosion is a national concern and requires an appropriate and sincere attempt to curb it. At the same time, the “demographic imbalance” should not occur. It should be noted that we need a healthy, educated, skilled and nationalistic population for the development of the nation. Taxpayer concerns about the population explosion also deserve immediate attention.

World Population Day is an annual event celebrated on July 11 every year. The event strives to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Program in 1989 [1]. It is celebrated all over the world, including India. Articles are written, and seminars are organized on this occasion on the issue of demographic pressure on the globe. But nothing fruitful is happening on the ground, and people are forgetting about the issue and postponing it for years to come.

This has been happening for several decades. In less than 70 years, the population of India has exploded by 40.99 Cr. in 1955 at 140.08 Cr. in 2022 [2]. At the same time, changing demographics and many known and unknown issues have increased [3]. However, society and the political system are deliberately pushing back the solution.

CM Yogi on demographic imbalance

The country will remember Chief Minister Sri Yogi’s speech on the occasion of World Population Day 2022. His messages on the population explosion and the resulting demographic changes nationwide are loud and clear. [4]. CM Yogi, in his July 11 speech, said that the population control program should continue successfully but at the same time, “demographic imbalance” should not occur. Speaking at a ceremony marking the start of the “population control fortnight”, he noted: “When we talk about family planning / population stabilization, we must keep in mind that the program population control must go forward successfully, but at the same time, a situation of demographic imbalance should not arise”.

This is the second incidence when the hidden threat is exposed by any CM. Earlier on September 30, 2021, the Chief Minister of Assam, Sri HimantaBiswaSarma, raised concerns about the changing demographics in the border districts and the influence of illegal immigrants on the election results. [5]. He said the illegal Muslim immigrants in Bangladesh have a clear strategy to take control of 3-5 constituencies in every election increasing their population and eventually seizing power in the state after a few decades.

The Uttarakhand government has said that the rapid increase in population is causing demographic changes in some parts of the state. This leads to the migration of several communities from these places and poses a threat to community peace. [6]. However, this is not just happening in Assam or some pockets of the country. These are open secrets and many agencies inside and outside the country are working on the “Ghazwa-e-Hind” program. [7]. The recent arrest of PFI militants from Patna has once again exposed the secret (open) plan to Islamize the nation [8].

Muslims are the fastest growing population

The proportion of the population of the different communities compared to the total population (PP) in 2011 and the population growth rate during the decade 2001-2011 have been presented in Tables 1 and 2 respectively.

Data indicates that Muslims have the fastest population growth rate. Such rapid population growth can upend the demographics of the nation. The proportion of the Hindu population in the total population (PP) in 2011 decreased by 0.7 percentage points (Table 1). The overall growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7%. The growth rate of the different communities during the same period is quoted in Table 2.

Dr. JK Bajaj’s recent studies have revealed that Indian Muslims have grown at a faster rate since independence, while the population growth of other religions has been consistently moderate. [10]. Studies show that there has been a sharp decline in the population of Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. It is the responsibility of all governments and individuals to maintain the demographic structure of the country and regions. The first census of independent India can be considered as a reference for the national demographic structure.

Demographic imbalance and criminal activities

Yogiji’s opinion on demographic development and the resulting public order problems is genuine. Ignoring this aspect of population control can be fatal to national growth and integrity. CM rightly highlighted the issue of demographic changes taking place in Uttar Pradesh and different parts of the country. It is also true that such changes threaten national security and create a public order problem.

Many villages and localities suffer from a demographic imbalance. These localities become the epicenter of several criminal and anti-national activities [11]. Delhi’s Jahangirpuri has made headlines recently. This locality of Delhi is inhabited by more than 10,000 West Bengalis (actually Bangladeshi families), the majority of whom (95%) are Muslims. The population imbalance and the attempt of the police to recover the illegal encroachment are the reasons for the communal riot, the throwing of stones at the police, etc.[12]. The root cause of the 2012 Assamese-Muslim indigenous riot was actually due to changing demographics, loss of land, livelihoods and intensified competition for political power, cultural existence and social in their own homeland. [13].

Need for a qualified human resource

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the UP has improved its record on maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate compared to the previous one.[14]. Yogi said Uttar Pradesh has delivered great results over the past five years but still needs improvement. The population of Uttar Pradesh is around 25 crores. It may be the fifth largest country in the world in terms of population. Yogi says there are still many problems in the state due to the increase in population. It should be noted that we need a healthy, educated, skilled and nationalistic population for the development of the nation. Such a population can be an asset; on the other hand, vulnerable, uneducated, unskilled and irresponsible citizens are handicaps and sometimes a threat to national security. He said that a qualified human resource is a boon, but an unqualified human resource becomes a handicap and a curse. A nation should work to stabilize the population and this will only be possible when a sensible government is allowed to move forward.

Taxpayers worry about population explosion

The population explosion is a national (as well as global) concern and requires a proper and sincere attempt to curb it. However, a group of people deliberately maintain large families. Some of them highlight their family size as their accomplishments. On the other hand, the concerns and opinions of poor taxpayers are ignored [15]. It is also a fact that the middle class mainly maintains small families and contributes substantially to the management of social protection schemes. I welcome the proposal from the UP Govt. stop subsidies for families with more than two children. It should be implemented retrospectively (for example, from 2012). In other words, the family whose youngest child is over 10 years old can also be deprived of the benefit of the subsidy.

After all, the instruction to keep the family small has been given for decades. Although this may seem inappropriate for a part of society and politicians, it is perfectly in the interests of the nation. Even if subsidies are stopped today, these families will continue to profit from national resources, thus upending the curve of development and polluting nature. Why are the nation and honest taxpayers suffering for someone else’s actions? Therefore, large families (eg families with six or more children) may be subject to additional taxation. It can be noted that taxpayers pay taxes to governments for national safety/security, infrastructure development, education, health care and other developments.

But, unfortunately, a giant share of tax collection goes to fill the bellies of large families. If governments lack the courage to control family size and strictly enforce family planning programs and impose taxes on large families, payment of income tax should be optional. If it’s her personal right to have children, shouldn’t it be her responsibility to raise them? [16]? Why are taxpayers burdened with the actions of irresponsible citizens and sometimes illegal migrants?

It is also a reality that children from large families are generally deprived of proper education, health care, education and family/social governance. As a result, the children of these families engage in anti-social and anti-national activities. This is an important and well-known problem, generally ignored by legislators. It is also desirable to monitor the activities of these children and families.

Remember, to control the nation’s population and push its engine of growth, certain harsh and unpopular actions are essential.