Prafull Goradia
In the last 120 years, the planet's population has quadrupled. At some point in numbers, we must halt this human multiplication
Uttar Pradesh has a little over seven per cent of India's land area, but 17 per cent of the country's population. In other words, the State's people live cheek by jowl. The second largest State, Maharashtra, in comparison, has 9.3 per cent of the country's land area and only 9.28 per cent population. Unlike UP, no other State in the country has such an adverse man-land ratio.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has apparently realised the adversity of the situation and has taken action in the form of a proposed law which, in a sense, amounts to hum do hamare do. A family planning law was brought in by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s for the entire country. In principle, her proposal did not provoke any great protest; actually, none at all. Its implementation by her bureaucracy, being somewhat ham-handed, drew opposition, which was muted because the Emergency was in force. When campaigning for the 1977 general elections began, protests by the Hindus in UP, where I spent a fortnight to observe the electioneering, broke out.
One Shyamlal Tiwari, who was kind enough to join my friend Raju and I in the course of the morning at Prayagraj (then Allahabad) happened to tell us that he was a 56-year-old widower with four children. Yet, the police dragged him to a nasbandi (sterilisation) centre and forced him to undergo a vasectomy. Later, Tiwari took us to a colony where mainly Muslims resided. That was an experience; the protests were so vociferous. There were quite a few ladies who said that never again would they vote for the Congress. The party did not even know that our Holy Prophet has ordained us to bring forth more children. The Congress regime's Government servants chased their young sons to force them to undergo nasbandi. In order to protect them, the womenfolk would get up at 3 am, cook what they could and send the boys away with their food into the fields and farms for the day, and not come back till after dark. Tell us sir, they said, is this a hukumat (Government) with any tehzeeb (decency) or tamaddun (culture)? Despite all their precautions, many a boy was victimised.
To offer a quick glance at the world situation, today the planet has 8 billion people, which since 1900 AD has grown from 2 billion. In other words, in 120 years, the planet's population has quadrupled. At some point in numbers, we must halt this human multiplication. I remember our Prime Minister saying that India can enjoy a population dividend. He was right, provided the young Indians of today are able to become truly educated and realise their potential. To educate and empower so many people would be a Herculean task.
The way UP is going, leave alone education, there would be no space to even stand before long. Already, there live about 10,000 people per sq km and yet on television, Opposition spokespersons have been asking whether Yogi has a “communal” motive of introducing this two-child law. In fact, we should all get together and spread this initiative across the country.
On the one hand, many of us are crying aloud about a change but none of us feels anxious about a change in climate resulting in, from time to time, a failure of crops and, thereby, food shortages. I feel it is essential to insure ourselves schematically against a drop in food production. On an average, an animal yields a kilo of meat by eating approximately nine to ten times of vegetarians. Non-vegetarian food, therefore, is clearly a huge drain on the planet's flora and fauna. For people of the world to turn vegetation is to economise on the amount of food consumed directly or indirectly.
Uttar Pradesh is one of the lesser industrialised States in the country. Its Chief Minister feels that it is the Government's duty to fill up the lacuna and thus create a bigger base for increasing employment and, at the same time, enlarge the economy by increasing the GDP. This can be achieved either by controlling the population or finding the wherewithals for creating new industries, more tourism, service sector et al. All this would require more investment to vastly increase the skills required. I suppose all this is possible, but it would be a long journey. Population control certainly is a much easier and quicker process. The other path just described would appear a pipe dream to many.
What is not a dream is what climate can do to countries. With this stupendous increase in world population, we occupy, more or less, the same land area. We cultivate about the same area of land. Is it surprising that the climate is changing towards the unpredictable? The earth is getting warmer. Imagine parts of Canada are experiencing 50°C temperature. As a result, the sea level would rise and drown the coastal areas of many a country. Our neighbour Bangladesh has been predicted to lose to drowning 17 per cent of its coast in about 30 years.
(The writer is a well-known columnist, an author and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. The views expressed are personal.)
