India's Population-A Challenge

India’s population has more than doubled since independence and we are second only to China in the number of mouths to feed. We are striving hard to meet this challenge. The warning given last century by Malthus cautioned all of us of this impending calamity through his theory “While population grows in geometrical proportion, food production grows only in arithmetic proportion.”  Add limited land for cultivation, we face a dead end. To feed our hungry millions efforts to grow more food in available land are being done. However food production is constrained by lack of rains at the right time and in right measure.

We have to build irrigation canals, construct dams for storage of rain and river water. Both these activities are limited by paucity of resources. To meet this challenge Tamil Nadu and other states and the centre are taking up on a war time basis measures to augment irrigation facilities. In the long run the gap between demand and supply of food items would hopefully be met. The Food security ordinance is a step in the right direction.  Another alarming aspect facing us is lack of housing for the many. Here too authorities are joining hands with the private sector to provide affordable housing for the poor and disadvantaged.

To abate the growth in population all citizens should observe small family norms and adapt family planning norms. Religious beliefs should not stand in the way in larger national interest.