MEASURES TO CONTROL POPULATION is associated with Population and associated issues in GS1 for upsc ias mains syllabus. Available measures can be broadly classified as social measures & economic measures.

MEASURES TO CONTROL POPULATION

Social Measures.

• Minimum age of Marriage: As fertility depends on the age of marriage therefore the minimum age of marriage should be raised. In India minimum age for marriage is 21 years for men and 18 years for women fixed by law. This law should be strongly implemented and people should also be made aware of this through promotion.
• Raising the Status of Women: There is still favouritism to the women. They are restricted to house. They are still confined to rearing and bearing of children. So women should be given opportunities to develop socially and economically. Free education should be given to them.
• Spread education: The spread of education changes the views of people. The educated men take mature decisions and prefer to delay marriage and adopt small family custom. Educated women are health mindful and avoid frequent pregnancies and thus help in lowering birth rate.

Adoption is also effective way to curb population. Some parents do not have any child, despite expensive medical treatment. It is recommended that they should adopt orphan children. It will be helpful to orphan children and children to couples.

• Change in Social Outlook: Social outlook of the people should undergo a change. It must be taught that marriage should no longer be considered a social compulsory.

Economic Measures

• Social Security: It is responsibility of government to include more and more people under-social security schemes. So that they do not depend upon others in the event of old age, sickness, unemployment with these facilities they will have no desire for more children.

• Government policies: Government must devise policies for more employment opportunities.
• Employment opportunities: Its need of the day to increase job opportunities in rural as well as urban areas. Generally in rural areas there is disguised joblessness.
• Development of Agriculture and Industry: If agriculture and industry are correctly developed, huge number of people will get employment. When their income is increased they would enhance their standard of living and accept small family norms. Good standard of living is a deterrent to large family norm. In order to maintain their enhanced standard of living, people prefer to have a small family.
• Urbanisation process can reduce population increase. It is reported that people in urban areas have low birth rate than those living in rural areas. Urbanisation should be encouraged.

Other Measures: 

• late Marriage as this will reduce the period of reproduction among the females and bring down the birth rate.
• Many practitioners advocated that self-control is one of the dominant methods to control the population.
• The govt. can give different types of incentives to the people to adopt birth control measures. Financial incentives and other facilities like leave and promotion can be extended to the working class which adopts small family norms.
• Employment to Woman is effective method to check the population. Women should be given incentive to give services in different fields.