Population Peril: Addressing India's Declining Fertility Rates

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch voices concern over India's declining total fertility rate, warning of potential socioeconomic imbalances. With rates dropping below the replacement level, fears of slowed economic growth and increased dependency burdens loom. The call is made for national awareness and policy revision.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) has raised alarms about India's declining total fertility rate (TFR), expressing that such trends could threaten the country's socio-economic stability. This warning was echoed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who advocated serious attention to this demographic shift.

At a national council meeting in Lucknow, SJM's co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan emphasized the societal impact of a TFR below the replacement level of 2.1. This decline signifies potential population imbalance and increases the dependency burden, potentially stalling India's economic growth.

Highlighting similar challenges faced by countries like South Korea and Japan, which have TFRs below 2.1, Mahajan called for urgent policy interventions. The Lancet's report projecting India's TFR at 1.29 by 2050 further underscores the need for immediate action to counteract this downward trend.

(With inputs from agencies.)