Overpopulation in India Homework due 3/26

Overpopulation in India

India suffers from the problem of overpopulation.  The population of India is very high at an estimated 1.2 billion.  Though India ranks second in population, it ranks 33 in terms of population density below countries such as The Netherlands, South Korea and Japan.  Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, implemented a forced sterilization program in the early 1970s but the program failed.  Officially, men with two children or more had to submit to sterilization, but many unmarried young men, political opponents and ignorant, poor men were also believed to have been sterilized. This program is still remembered and criticized in India, and is blamed for creating a public dislike of family planning.  This has caused problems for the government for decades. 

One-third of India's population (about the size of the United States) lives below the poverty line, and India is home to one-third of the world's poor people.

Though the upper class has improved as a result of recent positive economic developments, India suffers from substantial poverty.  According to the 2005 World Bank data, India has 456 million people (41.6% of its population) living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 (PPP) per day. The World Bank further estimates that 33% of the world’s poor now reside in India. Moreover, 75.6% of the Indian population lives below $2 a day, compared to 72.2% for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Wealth distribution in India is fairly uneven, with the top 10% of income groups earning 33% of the income. Despite significant economic progress, 1/4 of the nation's population earns less than the $0.40/day. Official figures estimate that 27.5% of Indians lived below the national poverty line in 2004–2005. A 2007 report found that 25% of Indians, or 236 million people, lived on less than 20 rupees per day with most working in "informal labor sector with no job or social security, living in abject poverty."

Use the reading and your knowledge of India to answer the following questions:

1.        How many people live in India?

 

2.       India is the ________ largest country in the world.

3.      What happened that caused Indians to dislike the idea of family planning?

 

4.      What percentage of Indians live below the poverty line?

 

5.      What percentage of the world’s poor live in India?

 

6.      ¼ of Indians earn below ___________ a day.

Critical Thinking:

7.      Predict and list at least two short-term problems that India might face as a result of their crowded conditions.

 

8.      Predict and list at least two long-term problems that India might face as a result of their crowded conditions.

 

9.       Why might India’s overpopulation be a concern for other countries?

 

10.   In your opinion, how should India go about solving their problem of overpopulation?