"Society will perish if population growth rate falls below 2.1"; Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat's statement sparks debate

NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has said that the country's population growth should be at least 3 per cent and if it falls below 2.1 per cent, the society will perish. "The family is the basic unit of society and the population must grow for its survival. It is a matter of concern that the country's population growth is slowing down," he said at an event in Nagpur.

"India's population policy, formulated during 1998-2002, stipulated that population growth should not fall below 2.1 per cent. If it goes below that, that society perishes, no one will destroy it, it will perish by itself. Human society will disappear from the earth without facing any other crisis. According to demography, growth should be more than two per cent for the survival of the society. It should be at least three percent." He also warned that many communities and languages have already disappeared as the population has declined.

Bhagwat had earlier said that India needs a population policy that is equally applicable to all communities. There should be a population balance between different communities in the country. Population balance based on religion is important. Without this balance, geographical boundaries will also change. It is a fact that increasing the population will be a huge liability. At the same time, it is also a huge resource. It needs to be utilized effectively. Bhagwat had said that we should think about how many people our country can feed after 50 years.