Factors influencing population distribution

Geographical factors

Availability of water eg. Earliest civilizational dev near rivers
Landforms - prefer flat terrain than mountains as such areas easy to travel and grow crops and other activities eg. Ganga plains
Climate- extreme climates uncomfortable for human habitation comfortable climates wih less seasonal variation are favoured by people
Soils -fertile soil which provides ground for agri and allied activities is preferred

Economic factors

Minerals areas with huge mineral resources potential for dev as eco centre providing jobs and dev so preferred katanga Zambia copper belt africa
Urbanisation As people want ready availability of facilities like healthcare, education, cosmopolitan living and high standards of life at urban centres mega cities
Industrialisation provides job opportunities from all walks of life labour and professionals eg. Kobe Osaka Reg Japan

Social and cultural factors

cultural and religious significance for people densely crowded providing tourism and stability eg banaras
Uneven distri of popu in India
More popu density N India and high popu growth here than S India
Within N UP Bihar have higher density compared to mountainous reg of NE and Himalayas and desert reg of raj

Relation btw popu and physical socio eco and historical factors

Physical - terrain, water availability, climate, soil, -N Indian plains deltas and coastal plains have higher popu density . Dev of irri (raj) discovery of mineral and energy resources increase popu of reg (Jharkhand) and Dev of transport network (peninsular states)
Socio eco and historical factors- evolution of settled agri Dev,pattern of human settlement, Dev of transport network, industrialisation and urbanisation increased popu eg plains, coastal areas, industrial towns. Further increase in popu with reg and historical significance has been inhabited since early ages

4 phases of popu growth in India

Phase 1: 1901 -1921 stagnant or stationary phase . Low growth rate negative from 1911-21 both birth and death rate high keeping rate of increase low . Poor health and medical services, illiteracy of majority people, inefficient distri of food and other basic necessities
Phase 2: 1921-51-steady popu growth, improvement in health and sanitation throughout brought down the mortality rate. Better transport and communication system improved distri of resource. High crude birth rate leading to high growth than last phase imp as time conincided with Great Depression and world war
Phase 3:1951-81- popu explosion, rapid fall in mortality rate and high fertility rate. Avg annual growth rate as high as 2.2%. After independence dev activities intro via centralised planning process and economy witnessed improved standards of living over time. High natural increase and high growth rate. Increased int migration Tibetans, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, even from Pakistan kept growth rate high
Phase 4:post 1981- growth though High started slowing down gradually. Downward trend of crude birth rate along with increase in mean age of marriage, improved quality of life particularly education of females
Regional variation: states TN, Andhra, Karnataka, Puducherry, Kerala, Odisha, Goa low growth rate on avg 20% compared to UP, Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP, Assam, Haryana on avg 20 -25%
Demographic dividend : high adolescent popu having high potential but are quite vulnerable if not guided and channelised properly.

Challenges-

lower age at marriage
illiteracy esp female illiteracy
school drop outs number high
low intake of nutrients
high maternal mortality
high susceptibility to HIV-AIDS ,
drug abuse, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency etc

Govt shall take adequate and timely measure to utilise this demographic dividend of India and convert this Human Resource to human capital which can contri immensely towards Dev of India at multidimensional level. National youth policy, skill India mission, Industrial training inst, emphasis on vocational learning since early ages, certificate and diploma courses on skill edu etc. focus on youth empowerment esp women and children girls, impetus to entrepreneurship

Population composition in India

Sex composition: ratio btw men and women in a pop is sex ratio or no. males per 1000 females . In india it's no. Of females per 1000 males
Gender discrimination rampant with sex ration unfavourable to women -female foeticide ,female infanticide, domestic violence , lower socio eco status of women
Age structure : no. of people of diff age groups shows pop composition if max above 60yr it's ageing pop if not then it's young pop
Age sex pyramid : age sex structure no. of female and male in diff age groups it's shape reflects characteristics of pop

Expanding pop - triangular shape with wider base low death rate high birth rate
Constant pop bell shaped as birth and death rate almost equal
Declining pop tapered top and narrow base showing low birth and death rates

Rural urban composition: based on residence in urban or rural area imp since rural and urban life style differ from each other in terms of livelihood and social cond.
Literacy - proportion of literate pop of a country indicates it's socio eco dev as it reveals the standard of living,social status of females,availability of edu facilities and policies of govt
Occupational structure : working pop take part in various occupations ranging from agri, forestry, manufacturing, construction, commercial transport, services, communication etc.
Working population: Majority in India non workers large section of popu is dependent . Majority workers in primary sector as compared to secondary and tertiary sector. More female workers in primary sector as compared to secondary and tertiary sectors. Slow shift in dependence of popu from farm based to non farm based occupations because of increasing urbanisation and Dev activities absorbing popu and decreasing disguised unemployment in agri.
Linguistic :increased diversity on basis of which several states are divided and popu is divided
Religion: affects cult and pol of Indians permeates in all aspects of people’s family and community life, some have majority of one real group people over another some have mixed compo. Majority Hindus except in areas along border with Bangla, pak, Jammu and Kashmir, hill states of NE. Maj Muslim sin Jammu and Kashmir, along Indo pak and Indo Bangla border. Maj in Kashmir and Lakshadweep. Christians maj in southern India esp Goa, Kerala etc sikhs Punjab Haryana Delhi

Spatial pattern of pop change

Low pop growth in developed as compared to developing countries
Negative relation btw eco dev and pop growth
Imapct of pop change:depletion of resources
Population decline means resources which were earlier sufficient for pop now insufficient to maintain the population
Demographic transition theory: pop of any reg changes from high births and high deaths to low birthday and low deaths as the society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society . These changes occur in stages called demographic cycle.

3 stages

1st:high fertility high mortality low pop growth most people engaged in agri and life expectancy is low
2nd:fertility is high but declines over time along with reduced mortality rate with improvement in sanitation and health condn
3rd:both fertility and mortality decline considerably . Pop is urbanised literate and has high technical know how.

Population control measures : Family planning services and access to them. Improving womens health care facilities. Easier and free availability of contraceptives and tax disincentives for large families
Malthusian theory by thomas Malthus: no. of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would lead in pop crash by famine,disease and war
Eco Survey 2018 19 india to witness sharp slowdown in pop growth ovr nxt 2 decades
By 2030s some states transition to ageing society demo transition
India reached total fertility rate of 2.18 which is below average world replacement rate of 2.3 as per NFHS4

Problems

Demanding state to control no. Of children a couple can have
More children among poor and downtrodden since low survival rate of children
Lack of proper healthcare facilities
Birth control surgeries- vasectomy and tubectomy etc have often failed , people are less aware about it and their safety questioned with instances of large no. Of women dying after it in Bihar
High son preference
Helping hand of children to work in poorer family

Population Control

Stringent population control policies -restrcted maternity leave, benefits for 1st 2 children only incentivising sterilization.
Encourage smaller families hum 2 humare 2 - difference in fertility among socio eco grp not due to work life balance but to secure better future for their children low fertility in the rich
With the Total Fertility Rate now below the replacement rate, Indian population growth has moved past its peak.growth of number of youth in the country is on the decline, as the population pyramid has inverted for the first time ever.
fewer babies being born over the last 10 years. The percentage of children under the age of 15 declined from 35% in NFHS-3 (2003-05) to 29% in NFHS-4 (2013-15).
population of those aged 60 years and older increased slightly, from 9% in NFHS-3 to 10% in NFHS-4.
India- specific findings in State of World Population 2019 by UNFPA UN populations fund

India accounts for over one-sixth of the world’s population in 2019 (1.37 billion out of 7.71 billion).
India will overtake china as most populated Country by 2027
It has grown at a rate (1.2% per year between 2010 and 2019) that is just over the world growth rate (1.2%).
India’s life expectancy at birth is lower than the world’s (69 years to 72).
It scores higher than the global average in terms of access to healthcare during childbirth, and also has a much lower adolescent birth rate.
India’s maternal mortality ratio in 2015 was 174 deaths per lakh live births (down from 448 in 1994) while the global MMR in 2015 was 216.
India’s fertility rate in 2019 is 2.3 births per woman, compared to 2.5 worldwide.

Top most populous countries in 2027:

India – 1.5 billion.
China – 1.1 billion.

Challenges ahead:

Early marriage cultural obstacle to female empowerment and better reproductive rights.
negative repercussions on women’s education, income and safety, leaving them “unable to shape their own futures”.
35 million women, girls and young people will need life-saving sexual and reproductive health services as well as services to address gender-based violence, in humanitarian settings.
Overall population of the world is ageing, with the age group ‘65 and above’ growing at a fast rate. By 2050, one in six people will belong to this group, instead of one in 11 in 2019.

Population Policy of India

steady decline in its fertility rates and a slowing down of its population growth.being the first country in the world to launch a national programme, emphasizing family planning "to stabilize the population at a level consistent with the requirement of national economy"
National Population Policy 2000 (NPP 2000) commitment towards voluntary and informed choice and consent of citizens while availing of reproductive health care services and target free approach in administering family planning services.
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam decadal growth rate in these has reduced.
The age of marriage went up, so preventing thousands of maternal and new-born deaths and stillbirths. hospital-based deliveries have doubled in some states with near-tripling in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, especially due to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Need of a new Population Policy for India

Creation of wrong perception- by associating population growth with issues of the country and more people chase fewer and fewer resources.
Lead to conflicts- deep class or religious conflict that pits the poor, the weak, the downtrodden and the minorities against the more privileged sections.
Lack of success on various parameters- of the National Population Policy 2000 such as- IMR was to be reduced to 30 per thousand live births and MMR to less than 100 per 1 lakh live births.India has achieved neither.
Skewed female and child sex ratio- spreading from urban into rural areas.Discriminatory social barriers like the absence of women’s ownership rights over land and property, continuing son preference.
Migration- issues of sons of soil doctrine as well as strain on the infrastructure, housing and water availability.
Ageing- The growing population of the elderly and the increase in life expectancy accompanied by chronic diseases have potential to deflect resources from the primary task of providing education, skill development and increasing employability. next 10 years, the elderly will account for 12% of the country’s population.

Way Forward

The new population policy should cut across sectoral paradigms and address the above issues.
focus on young population (below 35 years), which could have great socio-economic developmental outcomes . Ensuring greater access to education and livelihood opportunities and meeting the health needs
The two-pronged approach- strengthening healthcare systems and population control may work in states such as Bihar and UP, but for other states more resources should move into health system strengthening and core health priorities
need to focus on smaller states as well. E.g.Sample Registration System tracks deaths and births in a sample of villages and urban blocks, should also generate data on MMR for smaller states or union territories (UTs).
common minimum programme agreed upon by a multi-stakeholder consensus to effectively address misalignment between central and state efforts, as well as delays and derailments due to regime changes.

STEPS BEING TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH:

New Interventions under Family Planning Programme
Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs at doorstep of beneficiaries.
Scheme for ASHAs to ensure spacing in births. Introduction of the new device and methods, which are more effective and give boost to spacing of births.
Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh (National Population Stabilization Fund) following population control measure

Prerna Strategy- to push up the age of marriage of girls and delay in first child and spacing in second child the birth of children in the interest of health of young mothers and infants.
Santushti Strategy: it invites private sector gynecologists and vasectomy surgeons to conduct sterilization operations in Public Private Partnership mode.

Mission ParivarVikas- for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in146 high fertility districts with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 3 and above in seven high focus states- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam that itself constitutes 44% of the country’s population.
New Contraceptive Choices- viz. Injectable contraceptive and Centchroman
Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors
Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme -in 146 Mission Parivar Vikas districts for providing Family planning services through mobile teams from accredited organizationsin far-flung, underserved and geographically difficult areas.
Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits in the drug kits of ASHAs
Family Planning Logistic Management and Information System (FP-LMIS): software to ensure smooth forecasting, procurement and distribution of family planning commodities across all the levels of health facilities.
National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) clients are insured in the eventualities of death, complication and failure following sterilization.
Ensuring quality of care in Family Planning services by establishing Quality Assurance Committees in all states and districts.
Appointment of dedicated RMNCH+A counsellors at high case load facilities.
Improved Demand generation activities through a 360 degree media campaign.

Two Child Policy

Assam Cabinet has decided that no government jobs will be given to persons having more than two children after January 1, 2021. Assam will become the fourth state after Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to have a two-child norm

Recently, 3 candidates from the Municipal Corporations of Gujarat were disqualified under the two-child policy in place in the state for candidates.

Rationale for Two Child Policy

Increasing population in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. These excluding Odisha, will account for nearly two-thirds of the increase in India’s population during 2021-41.
help to control the fertility at rapid pace and hence control the population growth
denial of social and economic benefits under the two-child policy can force prospective parents to limit the children in order to continue to avail the benefits.

Demographic dividend without investments in human capital will be a wasted development opportunity, and it will further widen economic and social gaps, instead of narrowing them. Investing more and more efficiently in people will enable India to tap into its demographic divided, and prepare the country for the future

In 2005, Gujarat amended the Gujarat Local Authorities Act to “prevent a person having more than two children to be a member of panchayat, or the councillor of a municipality or municipal corporation”.
The rationale behind the two-child policy was said to be the need to “order and stabilise” the growing population of the country, beginning with elected representatives, who should lead by example.

About two-child policy in India

India has no national policy mandating specific number of children.
Family Welfare Programme in India is voluntary in nature. It enables couples to decide the size of their family and adopt the family planning methods best suited to them according to their choice without any compulsion.
In December 2020, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking denial of access to government jobs, subsidies, right to vote, to property and to free shelter to those with more than two children

Ministry of Health and Family welfare has refused to implement such a legally enforceable two-child policy.

Several states, including Assam, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, already have some form of the two-child norm in place for those running for elected government posts or government jobs.

Why there is a need to have such two-child policy?

Health consequences: Mortality rates of mothers increases as the number of children increased. Some experts believe that having pregnancies too close together doesn't give the mother time to recover after losing nutrients such as iron and foliate after pregnancy and breastfeeding. This is called maternal depletion syndrome.
Limited resources: India is a young country with over 60% of the Indian population under the age of 35 years. Therefore, even if couples decide to have only one or two children, India's population will continue to increase until 2051. This would put huge burden on India’s natural resources limiting economic growth.
High standard of life: Less number of children results in judicious use of family resources on health and education of children.
Lack of awareness: Poor or illiterate section of society may not understand the benefits of small number of children.

What are the Negative Consequences of having such two-child policy?

Domestic experience not encouraging: unintended consequences like men deserting or divorcing wives if they became pregnant a third time, men abandoning or disowning their third child, sex-selective and unsafe abortions etc.
International experience not encouraging: Any coercion to have a certain number of children is counter-productive and leads to demographic distortions. For example: China's one-child policy led to sex-selective abortions and an ageing population with a fast-declining workforce.
Replacement rate is almost achieved: fertility rate across India fallen without coercive measures as family incomes increased and women were educated.

National Family Health Survey-5(NFHS- 5), women have fewer than two children, on average. Therefore, India does not need to go in for coercive family planning strategies at this point.
communities where the TFR is below replacement level. For example, Parsis are considered to be on the verge of extinction due to very low TFR. National policy for two-child would have dampening effect on the number of these communities.

Contravention of violation international laws: India signatory to the International Conference on Population and Development Declaration in 1994 committed to honour the individual right of the couples to decide freely the number of children they want to have.

contrary to constitutional Right to Education(Article21A, Article45 and 51A) and Right to Life (Article 21).

Exclusion from benefits: Such a policy takes away the basic rights of citizens like contesting election and voting. These policies also result in denial of merit.

Way ahead

Increase legal age of marriage: delay the age of first child birth and more maturity among couple to make informed decision
Increase the education level of girl child: would delay the early pregnancy. It would also empower them to have control over decision on number of children they want.

Moreover, good education would pave the way for effective participation of women in the workforce. This would further empower them to have control on their reproductive rights.

Involve community leadership: have high reputations, for raising awareness about socio-economic and health benefits of having less number of children.
Change the priority under family planning budget: family planning programmes account for about 4% of the National Health Mission budget majority of which goes for incentives to families and service providers for sterilization.

Class Notes 4 You

Population