India, Aug. 21 -- Eyebrows were raised when Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern about the population explosion in the country in his recent Independence Day speech. There was a feeling of surprise that the Prime Minister chose to bring up an issue that has been a 'No- No' for many politicians from the days of Emergency when the Indira Gandhi government used coercive population control measures. Her Family Planning programme received widespread condemnation and effectively never realized its purpose. Later the ministry's name was changed to Family Welfare.
India's population is 1.34 billion, which is nearly a four-fold increase since Independence. Modi has reasons for concern as according to the World Population Prospects 2019 of...