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South India lags behind national fertility rate, slows population boom - The Times of India
I think this is a bit funny and alarming.
Funny because the headline makes it sound as if its a national competition and southern states are lagging behind and alarming because the TFR is well below the percentage for a population to sustain itself. Well what can i say, people just need to spend more time in their bedrooms.
p.s: UPs and Bihari gentlemen, the above advice is not for you..Kindly ignore
BANGALORE: India's burgeoning population appears to be both a problem and an advantage. Very soon, the southern states are likely to stare at an un-Indian situation: a shrinking populace, owing to a sharp dip in the fertility rate of women.
Analyzing the 2011 Census data, the Population Research Centre of the Bangalore-based Institute for Social and Economic Change found that many southern districts, a significant number of them in Karnataka, have recorded fertility rates lower than the national average. The study says turnaround will happen soon.
Half of India's 1.21 billion population comprises women, and the national average fertility rate stands at 2.5, slightly higher than the targeted 2. The theory is simple: two children replace two parents, and the population remains stagnant.
Experts say women in most southern states appear to be settling for one child, pulling down the average fertility rate.
Karnataka's overall fertility rate stands at 2, but there's an interesting variation in the districts. In Udupi, for instance, the fertility rate is 1.2; in Hassan, Mandya and Chikmagalur, it's 1.4; in Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu, it's 1.5. Bangalore, at 1.7, is well below the national average. Some districts, though, have high fertility rates: Bijapur stands at 3, and Bidar at 2.7.
The other South Indian states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are in the sub-2 category.
"Women are, perhaps, postponing marriage and, subsequently, childbirth. Many are increasingly settling for one child as they are socially and biologically past their prime by the time they give birth for the first time," said K S James, professor, Population Research Centre, who led the data analysis.
SUDDEN DISARRAY
What happens if the population shrinks? Arresting the spiralling population growth rate has always topped the nation's agenda. Experts, though, beg to differ. A sudden turnaround in population could lead to demographic disarray, they say. "The first result of negative population growth is the number of elderly people goes up and young people comes down. This means there are fewer youngsters to take care of our elderly," said Prof. K S James.
I think this is a bit funny and alarming.
Funny because the headline makes it sound as if its a national competition and southern states are lagging behind and alarming because the TFR is well below the percentage for a population to sustain itself. Well what can i say, people just need to spend more time in their bedrooms.
p.s: UPs and Bihari gentlemen, the above advice is not for you..Kindly ignore