Dear Editor,
This is with reference to Richa Jain’s letter, ‘Population problem’ (2nd October, 2016). She has put forward the popular belief that the root of all problem is overpopulation. However, such a theory does not hold water. It is a myth that India being too densely populated to achieve inclusive growth. The density of population is 436 per square kilometre in India but it is 501 in the Netherlands. While the former is stuck at the Human Development Index rank of 130, the latter is at the enviable fifth position.
Another myth that is doing the rounds in our country is that had there been no subsidy for the poor, India could have become a superpower. Amartya Sen has, rightly, pointed out how incorrect such notions are. He said, “Reading the papers and hearing broadcasts, you would think that it is subsidy for the poor – food and employment – that strains India’s public resources, even though more than twice as much public funds are spent in subsidisiing the better off”. Yet the creamy layer of the society is still hungry to gobble up even the subsidy for the poor which is only less than one third of the total subsidy.
Recently, the Government of India has come out with a study that says two-third of food to feed 600 million poor Indians is lost as hungry millions do not have enough purchasing power to buy the same. India has to follow the roadmap for inclusive growth. It will increase the purchasing power of the poor people of our country which in turn would boost up the demand, market and our economy. India has committed a blunder of neglecting her assets of huge human resources and thus making it her liability.
Sujit De,
Sodepur, Kolkata-700110
