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Population Tsunami

October 27, 2007

Population Tsunami

National Seminar held in Hyderabad on 18^th Feb’ 2007 

      The Center for Inquiry, India organized a National Conference on Population Tsunami at Hyderabad on 18^th February 2007 in Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University. The Conference discussed the basic background papers presented by Dr. Vijayam, the leader Atheist Movement and Mr. K. Veeramani leader Dravida Khajagam, Chennai. Dr. Vijayam while presenting his paper, changed the mood of the audience to think the population subject seriously. He narrated anecdotes and indicated the threat from religions. The Seminar was inaugurated by Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare has called upon the civil society groups to join the Government's efforts to achieve the targets fixed under the National Population Policy for population stabilisation.

      India's population would touch 1.19 billion by 2011 and 1.4 billion by 2026 and it was set to overtake China as the most populous nation in a few decades. Designing effective and appropriate strategies to address the problem of population growth was, therefore, an important challenge, she said.

      She said that though the overall demographic profile of the country had improved, its pace and distribution were found to be slow and uneven. The Government had taken several steps including the launch of national rural health mission to provide accessible, accountable and effective primary health care to the poor and vulnerable sections. The goals of the mission included population stabilisation, gender and demographic balance and to improve availability of integrated primary health care services.

      CFI-Italy representative Hugo Estrella said that population explosion was linked to sustainability and lack of long term planning was leading to growth in the population. Fast growing economies like India could never claim to be rich as long as people died of starvation, he said. Hugo Estrella said, “China has implemented population control by depriving people of their liberties (like imposing the one child norm) and their industry is the most polluted in the world. India needs to utilize its growing economy in developing health, sanitation and education”

      Social activist and CFI advisor Chandana Chakrabarthi said India that had less than 3 per cent earth space was home to 15.7 per cent of global population. While there were 400 million people in the 0-18 age group, over 53 per cent of those below five years of age were malnourished.

      Chandana Chakrabarthi reeled out some alarming statistics – 71 percent in India do not have access to sanitation, only 37 per cent households use toilets and an equal percentage have no access to proper toilets. She says with such poor living standards, 20 per cent of the world’s maternity deaths and 25 percent of its child deaths occur in India. “It is because there is no guarantee of life that people are producing more and the population is increasing,” Chakrabarthi said.

      “With 48 per cent illiterate in the country, it is easy to sway them in the name of religion and ask them to produce more children so that their community does not become a minority. This has to be stopped and for that we need more educational avenues,” Chakrabarthi said.

      The United Nations predicts India’s population will surpass that of China by 2030. By 2050, it would be 1.59 billion as opposed to 1.39 billion of China.

      Yet, the Centre for Inquiry (CFI), a social organization set up in 2006 to, among other things, bring awareness on science, technology and health issues, warns India against following the Chinese example in population control or development.

      The CFI says the only way to control population explosion is by improving the education and health standards in the country. It sees the need for 4,00,000 schools on the lines of  Navodaya and Kendriya Vidyalaya so that children of all economic classes have access to best education, which will help them learn more of India and hence behave more responsibly towards its development.

      The CFI also recommends revamping the vocational education and increase the vocational colleges from 5,000 offering courses in just 80 fields, to 1,00,000 with 500 different courses. Its contention is that if the youth of India who form 30 per cent of the world’s youth are well informed and employed with steady income, they can go a long way in causing sustainable development. Hugo Estrella said.

      The Centre for Inquiry’s main stand is against religion propagating what it claims a ‘non-existing’ need to increase the numbers in their respective community.

      In the day long session Mr. B. Sambasiva Rao from Manava Vikasa Vedika; Mr. T. V. Rao from Jana Vignana Vedika; Dr. Ambuja,                           Dr. Noorjahan, Mr. Nagendra Babu from Jana Chaitanya Vedika spoke on various problems of population increase.

      The Conference observed Darwins day with Master Rohit’s presentation.

      Mr. Vikram has shown power point presentation through Magic.

      In the Valedictory session Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, Lok Satta leader; Mr. K. Rosaiah Health Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh emphasized the need to curb population.

      Indian Peasants Institute, Atheist Center Cooperated with the organizers in organising the Seminar. Mr. V. K. Sinha, Editor Secularist from Mumbai spoke on the threats of fundamental Religions.

      Dr. N. Innaiah, Chairman, CFI presided over, Mr. I. Muralidhar, Executive Director gave details of the objectives of the Seminar. Mr. Estrella read the message sent by Prof. Paul Kurtz, Chairman, CFI transnational.