Impact of population growth on our economy is mind-boggling. If the population continues to grow at the same speed, it would be a near impossible task to satisfy the minimum needs of our people.
During the 1981-91 decade, net annual increase in population had been of the order of 14 millions. Additional resources required for this population to ensure a modest quality of life are:
Food grains – 11,850,000 metres
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Quintals Cloth – 180,000,000
Schools – 121,000
Teachers – 355,000
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Houses – 2,391,000
Jobs – 3,813,000
Image Source: businesskorea.co.kr
The direct cost of maintaining the additional 14 million population at an average level of Rs. 1,000 per year person comes to Rs. 1,400 crores. And for the 135 million which we have added in the last decade, this cost amounts to a staggering figure of Rs. 13,500 crores.
Can the country bear this additional burden especially when it is desperately engaged in raising the living standards of its people, nearly 50 per cent of who are below the poverty line?
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Can we provide 2.4 million additional housing units each year? Can the economy generate nearly four million additional jobs per year, apart from clearing the backlog? These are important and serious questions.
The answer obviously is no. Although country has been doing exceedingly well in all spheres of development yet there is much more to be done. All this can be possible if efforts are made to check the population growth.
Growth of population has a serious impact on the economy of the country.