INDIA. New Delhi: The World Population Prospects 2022 launched by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported that India is projected to overtake its neighbour, China, in the unpleasant race to become the most populous country in the world.
The UN report was released on World Population Day 2022 (July 11), stating that the global population is projected to reach eight billion by mid-November, around 8.5 billion in 2030, and 9.7 billion in 2050.
Though the world population continues to grow at its slowest rate since World War II, the decrease in mortality rates spurned by better healthcare has ensured that the population peaks at around 10.4 billion during the 2080s and stay at that level until 2100.
Union Secretary-General António Guterres noted this year’s World Population Day as a “milestone year when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant.”
This calls for a celebration of the planet’s many achievements, including its “diversity” and “common humanity” and the technological advancements made in the health sector that have “extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates”.
However, Guterres cannot deny these achievements as reality checks and describes them as a “reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another.”
As an in-house measure, a Ghaziabad-based NGO, the Jansankhya Samadhan Foundation, has submitted a memorandum addressed to PM Narendra Modi, referring to the population boom as inciting an apocalyptic civil war situation and urging the leader to legitimise a law on the looming crisis.
The Foundation noted that they had achieved a nod from the Aditya Yogi government, which has already executed policies that benefit single-child families.
Also Read: World Population Day: UNFPA Calls For Action To Close Sexual And Reproductive Gaps
