Human resources: Population

Ch-7 Agrawal

Demographic Trends
1. large size and fast growth : 2011 Census estimate- 121 crores. 2. Growth rate since 1951 around 2%. Gap between a slowly falling birthrate and a rapidly declining death rate. While birth rate came down from about 40 between 1951-2001 to about 23.8 in 2004-05, death rate declined from about 27 to less than 8 per thousand population during the same period. Since the last Census 2001, population is estimated to grow at the rate of nearly 1.5 % per annum. Hence nearly 1.8 crore persons are being added to population annually.

Adverse Consequences
1. Increase in Density of population signifies the growing burden in backward economy. 2. Population has adverse effects on economic development. Consumer goods production increases for supporting population leaving less for savings and capital investment. 3. lack of skill formation of labour force due to paucity of capital 4. National income growth at 4 -6 % since 1951, the per capita income has grown over 1.5% , affecting adversely the welfare of the people. Growth rate today at 8% is eaten away by large population.

Features of Population
1. Density of Population: number of persons per square kilometer has worsened. From 117 kms in 1951 to more than 400 today. 2. Inter-state/ regional differences: Factors like climate, rainfall, irrigation etc. have added to regional differences. E.g. While land is fertile in North, density is more as compared to Rajasthan with deserts. 3. Density & Economic Development not a perfect indicator of growth or poverty. US -32, Australia -3; UK -249, Japan 351 etc. 4. Rural-Urban Difference- predominance of rural population and agriculture.

Cont
5. Age-composition: 0-14 years are 32.5 % of population, in developed countries - 18 %. Large number of children are indicative of large number of unproductive consumers.

6. Sex Composition: 2001 Census 933 females per thousand males. (52% males; 48% females). 7. Life-expectancy- 1901-1911 only 23 years. 2004- 63.6 years, due to fall in death rate and infant mortality rate. Developed countries- 78.8 years. 8. Literacy rate- Sharp increase between 1991-2001 decade. 199152.2%, 2001- 65.5%. Kerala -90.92% of the population.

Growth of Population
1. Very large size- 121 crores; one-sixth of world population. 2. 16.7% of world population; land area is only 2.4 %of world land area. 3. Fast growth rate1921-Great Divide 2011-221 crores

Census

Populatio n in millions

Annual Growth

1901
1921 1941 1951

238
251 318 361

----(-) 0.03 1.34 1.26

2001

1027

1.93

Cont
4. Small increase before 1921- negligible increase 5. Great Divide: 1921 is regarded as Great Divide Population doubled between 1921-1931. Since then continuous rise. 6. Population explosion massive increase is referred to as population explosion. Indias annual population around 1.5 % far exceeds China, Sri Lanka- 0.6, 0.5 % respectively. UK, Germany, Japan growth rate less than 0.3%. 7. High birth rate and low death rate due to improved health care. 8. Large poverty due to high population.

Cont
9. Religious and social attitudes- preference for boys and early child marriage. 10. Illiteracy, ignorance and non-availability of birth-control devices. 11. Decline in famines and epidemics. 12. Lack of nutrition and per-capita income. 13. Female foeticide and infanticide leading to imbalance in gender.

Population Policy
1. Rapid Economic Development 2. Rise in per-capita income 3. Emigration 4. Reducing birth- rate 5. Urbanization 6. Late marriages

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7. Reduction in death-rate 8. Desirable investment 9. Motivation and incentives 10. Various measures based on regional or rural biased efforts. 11. Empowering women politics, jobs, decision- making etc. 12. Most important increase in education and literacy.