India, March 3 -- Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat recently advised Hindu families to consider having three children in the interest of the nation. He was concerned about the declining Hindu population and cited "scientific opinion" that societies with an average fertility rate below three could disappear in the future. The word "future" is indefinite and India, with the world's largest population, is unlikely to disappear. However, whether having three children is in the interest of the nation is a debatable point with opinion sharply divided on both sides. The example before the world, if any, is China, which India surpassed in population in 2023. China introduced a one-child policy in the 1980s. Later, facing social challenges due to an increasingly aging population, China decided to transition to a new two-child policy in 2015. Indian planners and health officials used to visit China to understand their success model. As a democratic country, India toyed with the idea of incentivizing rather than using coercive birth control measures. To propagate small families, the slogan "hum do, hamare do" was coined and various incentives were announced. Some states later made the two-child norm mandatory for government officials and public representatives at the panchayat level. And today, the southern states fear paying the price for limiting families during the proposed population-based delimitation of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress met its Waterloo after the Indira Gandhi government implemented an aggressive family control programme during the Emergency in 1976. Bhagwat's suggestion is apparently driven by the 2011 Census data, which shows a "marginal decline" in the population of Hindus and a "slight increase" in the percentage of Muslims. According to the Census data, India's population grew by 17.7% from 2001 to 2011. The population share of Hindus, the dominant religious group, dropped by nearly 0.7% - from 80.46% in 2001 to 79.8% in 2011. The population of Muslims, on the other hand, registered an increase of 0.8% - from 13.43% to 14.23% - in the corresponding period. However, their population growth rate was 24.6% as against 16.8% of Hindus. Union home minister Amit Shah had, in a public address, talked about the continuous decline of the Hindu population while quoting figures. In the 1951 Census, the Hindu population was 84% while the Muslim population was 9.8%. By the 1971 and 1991 Censuses, the Hindu population decreased to 82% and 81%, and the Muslim population rose to 11% and 12.2% respectively. Despite this declining trend, the fear that Muslims will take over the Hindu Rashtra is unfounded, but it is a political hot potato. As of now, most studies are based on 10-year Census data from 2001-2011. The country's actual population, demographic changes and the growth of religious groups will only be known after the 2027 Census, despite projections by some research groups. In 15 years, from 2011 to 2026, there has been a sea-change in literacy levels, awareness and understanding of rights. The quest for education has increased across castes and communities, irrespective of their socio-economic status. Not only has government policy changed from aggressive sterilisation in 1976 to two-child campaigns, but people are also voluntarily preferring a small family. Some states have enforced the two-child norm by law while the Centre has been promoting birth control methods. The Indian government had launched a programme in 2017, aiming to bring fertility down to replacement levels by 2025. Perhaps the concern is more about the declining Hindu population as the appeal for three children has been linked with the "national interest." Many of their followers will lap up the suggestion, which they feel is imperative to building a Hindu Rashtra, the common refrain being "Muslims will take over India," though demographic data does not support the claim. Let's wait for the Census 2027 to be followed by the caste census. Bhagwat's statement also goes against the "personal choice" of families in a very personal matter. A woman needs a better family environment, physical and economic health to bear more children. Ironically, young couples, discouraged by the high cost of living, health and education, are becoming "pet parents" rather than raising kids. Also, the desire for a male child continues to infect most families despite the government focus on "beti bachao, beti padhao." In other words, personal conditions and ambitions drive families to have one or two children rather than "national interest" and "Hindu Rashtra." Experts are of the first view that the economic development of the country is hampered by increasing population as it puts a strain on natural resources as well as on every sector. They consistently express concern over population explosion because of which the per capita income remains poor, though India is the fastest growing major economy. They feel that population rises faster than capacities; otherwise, India would have been in the category of developed countries had we contained the population. People do argue that India is emerging as a global investors market as more population equals more consumers. But India ranked 130 out of 193 countries in the Human Development Report 2025. The fact that it is progressive is encouraging. India is also a young country with 65% of its population under 35 years. Scientifically, it can afford to continue with its two-child norm for all castes and communities for some years during which the focus could be on improving per capita income. The nation must be prosperous, not just populated....