Rising population has been much of a concern for our nation in past few decades. To counter the drastic increase we have till now resorted to steps like providing free Family Health Planning facilities for married couples (you know the common ones I am talking about) and launching less-given-heed-to campaigns of Hum Do Hamare Do which lately has become Hum do Hamara Ek, thinking that the country which is having the largest illiterate population in the world would give heed to such campaigns. The situation demands stricter government interference to combat the exploding population.
A One Child Norm, similar to what Chinese have done, is one of the possible solutions at hand. Implementing such a policy in a country like ours is not so easy. With likely protests from political parties, ethnic groups, religious bodies and other idle social organizations getting yet another issue to raise their voices against, implementing this would not be an easy task.
Let’s go deep into the problem of rising population and the ‘One Child Norm’ solution.
Why is One Child Norm (OCN) important? * * Bursting population of our nation. Increasing poverty, unemployment, social, economic, and environmental problems day by day. * With a definite check on population growth, such a norm will help us in providing quality health care facilities and increasing our literacy rate as population has a cascading effect on these issues. * Limited availability of resources. 40% of the people live below poverty line and cannot easily afford meal two times a day. * Such a norm may promote adoption of orphans thereby reducing number of orphans in India which currently tops the list. * Indian Medical Association (IMA) has been reiterating its suggestion to implement OCN based on their survey.
Associated Hurdles and Drawbacks of Norm * * ONC or TCN? Should it be a One Child Norm or Two Child Norm? If we go for two child norm, should there be a birth