Tag: Human Geography

Context: July 11 has been observed as World Population Day since 1989 after the global population crossed the five billion mark. The population is now estimated to be 8.1 billion, with India as the most populous nation (1.44 billion), which is slightly more than China’s.

 

More on News:

• Theme for 2024: Focus on women’s sexual and reproductive health rights, aligning with ICPD’s 30th anniversary.
• Progress in access to contraceptives and maternal health, but disparities persist, particularly in developing regions.
• Expected global population to reach 8.5 billion by decade’s end.
• Population Trends: Asia faces overpopulation, while Europe anticipates underpopulation due to ageing demographics.
• Demographic Shift: India’s trajectory from potential crisis to current challenges and opportunities amidst declining fertility rates and increased longevity.
• Regional Disparities: Poverty concentrated in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand, despite comprising 34% of India’s population, these states account for 83% of national poverty.

 

 

Demographic Transformations and Household Dynamics:

• India successfully reduced fertility rates from 3.4 to below replacement level (2.1) by 2021.
• Improvements in life expectancy and healthcare are contributing to demographic shifts towards an ageing population.
• Lower fertility rates and increased longevity are reshaping household composition.
  • • Imbalanced distribution of children and elderly within households poses challenges for inequality and care burden, especially impacting women.
• Gender equality is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals, particularly in healthcare and workforce participation.

 

 

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India’s ‘demographic dividend’ and its Advantages:

•  India has the world’s youngest population, with significant potential for economic growth and influence.
• India’s demographic dividend will continue at least till 2055–56. 
• It will peak around 2041, when 59% of its population will be of working-age (20–59 years).
• To unlock the demographic dividend, efforts have been made to enhance skill levels in the population. 
• According to the Economic Survey 2020-21, 62 % of India’s population is between 15 and 60, and 30% is under 15. 
  • • Thus, India is poised to enjoy the benefits of a substantial working-age population for a long time. 
• According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2019-20, formal vocational/technical training among youth (aged 15-29 years) and the working population (aged 15-59 years) has increased compared to 2018-19. 
  • • This improvement in skills is evident across both genders and in both rural and urban sectors. 
• Younger population contributes more years of work and higher purchasing power.
• India should focus on labour-intensive industries.  

 

Circular Economy and Sustainable Development:

• G-20 New Delhi Declaration (2023) expands the Circular Economy framework for sustainable consumption and production.
  • • Focus on economic growth of Global South nations, aiming for zero poverty by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2070.
• India committed to SDGs including ‘No Poverty’, ‘Zero Hunger’, and ‘Good Health’.
• Challenges in achieving targets include nutrition deficiencies and health disparities across regions.
• Future outlook emphasises eradicating poverty over addressing population growth concerns.

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Challenges:

• Healthcare: Despite improvements in maternal and child mortality, challenges persist with malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
  • • Need for enhanced healthcare infrastructure and financial safety nets.
• Migration: High rates of internal (60 crore annually) and international (2 crore annually) migration due to economic disparities and infrastructure limitations.
• Urban Development: Requirement for new cities with robust infrastructure to alleviate pressure on existing mega cities.
• Urban Challenges: Indian cities lag in global liveability rankings due to environmental issues and quality of life concerns.
• Data Accuracy: Lack of recent census data hampers accurate demographic and policy planning.
• Policy Formulation: Urgent need for updated population data to inform effective policy-making and resource allocation.

 

 

Further Steps to be Taken:

• Poverty Alleviation: Significant reduction from 48% to 10% (1990-2019) aided by initiatives like MGNREGA.
• Global Workforce Readiness: Strategic preparation needed for India’s demographic advantage in global labour markets.
• Job Creation: Policies should prioritise job creation and tackle income inequality for leveraging demographic dividend.
• Health and Nutrition: Strengthen programs with increased budget allocations; focus on reducing disparities and improving accessibility.
• Gender Equality: Crucial for sustainable development; policies must promote women’s participation in workforce and decision-making roles.

 

 

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Census Delay and Impact:

• Population Status: UN declared India most populous in April 2023, surpassing China.
• Importance of Census Data: Statistical Repository: Essential for policy-making, economic planning, and administration.

• • • Migration Tracking: Vital for monitoring population movements within India.
• Reasons for Delay:

• • • COVID-19 Pandemic: 2021 census postponed indefinitely due to outbreak.
    • Administrative Freeze Extensions: Multiple delays in setting boundaries.
• Impact on Policies and Governance:

• • • Data Gap: Lack of updated socio-economic data since 2011 census.
    • Policy Formulation: Hindered by unreliable, outdated data.
    • Public Distribution System (PDS): Inaccurate coverage affects subsidy distribution.
    • Delimitation Exercise: Allocation of seats affected without current census data.
    • Women’s Reservation Act,2023 :  “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam”, Implementation delayed without census-based data.

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Context:

Preparing for India’s Ageing Population: Ensuring Social, Financial, and Active Lifestyles.

 

More on News:

• The projected magnitude of the elderly population(aged 60 & above) is estimated at 319 million by mid-century, growing by around 3% a year from 153 million.
• India ageing, elderly to make up 20.8% of the population by 2050: United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA report).

 

Vulnerabilities of the Elderly Population:

• Restrictions in activities of daily living (ADL):

• • ADLs refer to the daily activities that people perform to maintain their independence, such as bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom.
  • Restrictions in ADLs can be a significant vulnerability for the elderly, as it can lead to a loss of independence and increased reliance on others for daily care

 

• Multi-morbidity: 
  • It refers to the presence of multiple chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis.

• • While 75% of the elderly population are victims of one or more chronic diseases and 40% of those aged 45 and above have one or the other disability.

• • • Two threatening forces are diabetes and cancer which appear to be frequent among India’s elderly.

• • 20% of those aged above 45 self-reporting some ailment, primarily associated with depression.

 

• Poverty: 

• • Poverty is inherently gendered in old age when older women are more likely to be widowed, living alone, with no income and with fewer assets of their own, and fully dependent on family for support.

• • • As per the UNFPA report population of people aged 80+ years will grow at a rate of around 279% between 2022 and 2050 with a “predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women” 

• • There also appears to be food insecurity among India’s elderly where 6% of those above 45 years of age ate smaller portions or skipped meals.

• • • 5.3% of them did not eat despite being hungry. 

• • • This phenomenon may look minimal but has its bearing on nutrition and consequential morbidities.

 

• Absence of any income: 

• • It is significant vulnerability for the elderly, as it can lead to financial insecurity and reduced access to necessities such as food, housing, and healthcare.

• • More than 40% of the elderly in India are in the poorest wealth quintile, with about 18.7% of them living without an income, as per UNFPA report. 

 

• Familial transition:  
  • With a growing trend towards nuclear family set-up, and increasing education, urbanisation and industrialisation, the vulnerability of elderly is rapidly increasing.
  • Persistence of vulnerabilities in individual elderly arising simply out of the household features more than individual characteristics. 
  • Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India (LASI, 2017-18) reports that about 20% of the elderly population experience each of these vulnerabilities with widespread variation across the States.

 

Steps taken by the Government towards Elder People:

• Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY): Scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-Living Devices for Senior Citizens.
  • Ministry: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
  • Objective: To provide aids and assisted living devices viz. walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers/crutches, tripods/quadpods, hearing aids, wheelchairs, artificial dentures and spectacles, free of cost to senior citizens.
  • Coverage: Under the revised Scheme, the beneficiaries extended to include senior citizens with monthly income not more than Rs. 15000/- and who suffer from age-related disabilities/infirmities as mentioned above along with senior citizens belonging to BPL category.

 

• The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007: 
  • It came into being due to the gradual withering away of the Joint Family System in society.
  • Old-Age Homes: State governments are empowered to establish old-age homes in every district to provide shelter and care to senior citizens.
  • Maintenance Tribunals: Senior citizens who are unable to maintain themselves can apply to a maintenance tribunal for a monthly allowance from their children or heirs. State governments may set up maintenance tribunals in every sub-division to decide the level of maintenance.
  • Appellate Tribunals: Appellate tribunals may be established at the district level to hear appeals against maintenance tribunal decisions.
  • Monthly Allowance: State governments shall set the maximum monthly maintenance allowance.
  • Punishment for Non-Compliance: Failure to pay the required monthly allowance can result in a fine of Rs 5,000 or up to three months imprisonment, or both.

 

• National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): 
  • The elderly, widows, and disabled persons belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and fulfilling eligibility criteria prescribed in the NSAP guidelines, are provided financial assistance ranging from Rs.200/- to Rs.500/- p.m.

 

• India has benefited significantly from the global understanding of ageing issues, which has evolved over the years. Key milestones include:
  • 1982 Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing
  • UN Principles for Older Persons in 1991
  • Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid in 2002. 

 

• Global Efforts: The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) is a global collaboration—aligned with the last 10 years of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—that brings together governments, civil society, international agencies, to improve the lives of older people, their families and the communities:
  • The Decade will address four areas of action:
    • Creating age-friendly environments:
    • Combating ageism: 
    • Providing integrated care
    • Building long-term care systems

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About United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.  Mission: Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Promote gender equality and empower women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. Provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. Ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.

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