‘Educate girl child to tackle population’
With India home to 17 per cent of world’s population even though having only 2.5 per cent of land share, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has stressed on population stabilisation. According to reports, India’s population has seen a five-fold increase over the last 100 years and will surpass that of China by 2050.
On Sunday to mark the World Population Day, Mr Azad said strict implementation of laws on age of marriage and delayed first child could help in population stabilisation. But the minister ruled out coercion by government to achieve this.
Mr Azad said government will promote population stabilisation by making people aware about the benefit of small families. Noting that craving for male child in the country is another problem which comes in the way of population stabilisation. He said spread of education, especially among girls will help a great deal in dealing with this problem.
Government figures show that while India’s population had grown by 1.4 per cent over the last five years, in China this figure is at 0.6 per cent for the corresponding period. As per the report by ministry of health and family welfare, if India continues at the current pace, it will double its population in the next 50 years.
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