Abstract

In regard to population, India stands the second position in the world after China. In very few coming years, India is destined to become the most populated country globally, surpassing China, if the population growth and the fertility rate in the country continue at this pace. The adverse effects of it on the social and economic status of the country are going to be huge and beyond imagination. The country's situation is already reeling under growing unemployment, decorating health care conditions and facilities, increasing pollution and environmental damages, rising costs of essential commodities, depleting natural resources, etc., is going to deteriorate. The innovative and other steps taken by the government and other stakeholders like the NGO', social organizations, welfare groups, etc. to curb population growth have practically failed to reveal any positive results, and unless stringent measures are taken in this regard, we can only look into a dark and bleak future for India. The time thus has already come to take leaping legislative and robust regulatory steps to overcome the menace of population growth; otherwise, things would get out of hand. Many of our parliamentarians who have already awakened to the situation over the years have presented private bills before the Lok Sabha regarding cutting down of benefits of welfares, subsidies, etc. doled one by the government, for those having more than two children and also taking of drastic measures to curtail some of their rights. While their legislative steps proposed have been ignored or not discussed seriously, the situation presently calls for making their strict actions a reality by way of legislation and implementing it effectively and strongly with timely monitoring.

Keywords