New Delhi, June 14 -- India needs to abandon population control as the nation faces a decline in fertility that mirrors the demographic crisis unfolding across China and other East Asian economies, warns Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

The decline in fertility is no longer limited to the southern states but has emerged as a nationwide trend, with the country's total fertility rate (TFR) dropping below the replacement level across several regions, Sanyal toldMintin an interview. India, according to him, is now entering the same demographic transition zone that has challenged countries such as China, Japan and South Korea.

"If it weren't for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, we would be well below the...