Akhilesh's SP slams Yogi govt's 'Population stability' move; says 'Population is power'

Shortly after the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launced the Population Stability Pankhwada on July 11, the leaders of the Samajwadi Party have lashed out in criticism at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its new initiative.

On the occasion of World Population Day, the Uttar Pradesh government announced the 'Population Stability Pakhwada' celebration from July 11 to 24, with a goal to inculcate the idea of family planning in the public. 

However, the spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, Manoj Kaka has said, "Instead of giving speeches about population control, the government should run programmes that were being run by previous governments, to make a difference."

Kaka added, "The numbers from the last five years show that the leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party have had the most number of children, so they should first set an example themselves." 

"Population is power, it's not always bad, the human resource of a country can become its most powerful tool, provided we know how to use it. We should provide them jobs, education, infrastructure to get the most out of the population, but this is something that the BJP doesn't want to do," Manoj Kaka further added.

Another Samajwadi Party leader Anurag Bhadouria said, "Overpopulation is a problem for any country, but it is the duty of the government to find solutions to that problem. However, they also need to take steps to develop the nation, provide jobs, provide infrastructure and a create a climate for growth, and this is something they cannot run away from."

India set to surpass China's population by 2023

Earlier in the day, a report by the United Nations projected that India will surpass China as the world's most populous country by 2023. The world's two most populous regions in 2022 were Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, with 2.3 billion people, representing 29% of the global population, and Central and Southern Asia, with 2.1 billion, representing 26% of the total world population.

China and India accounted for the largest populations in these regions, with more than 1.4 billion each in 2022.  According to the report, India's population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China's 1.426 billion.

India, which will surpass China as the world's most populous nation by 2023, is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China's 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century.

The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world's population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.

Image: PTI, Twitter/@ManojSinghKAKA