Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
FERTILITY DECLINE: A SUCCESS STORY OR CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
|January 03, 2025
India's declining fertility rates, once hailed as a success of family planning policies and socio-economic progress, are now the subject of renewed debate.
Recent statements by the CMs of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the RSS chief underscore a pressing issue: the implications of India's declining fertility for economic growth and sustainability.
Despite achieving replacement-level fertility, India now faces the challenge of below-replacement fertility, which presents new socio-economic hurdles.
India's total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 2.0 in 2019-21, below the replacement threshold of 2.1. Urban areas report a TFR of 1.6, while rural areas remain at 2.1, with only five states-UP (2.3), Bihar (3.0), Jharkhand (2.3), Meghalaya (2.9) and Manipur (2.2)-exceeding this level. Equally important is the net reproduction rate (NRR), which for India is below 1. It suggests the total population will gradually decline as there aren't enough daughters being born to replace the current generation. Can India capitalise on this change for sustainable development, or does it signal an impending crisis?
India has long been seen as poised to benefit from a demographic dividend-a youthful working-age population that could drive economic growth. However, this is contingent on policies that translate a large working-age population into actual economic participation. India's persistently low labour force participation rates pose a significant challenge. So, can India fully harness its demographic dividend when a substantial portion of its population remains economically inactive or underemployed?
This story is from the January 03, 2025 edition of The New Indian Express Sambalpur.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The New Indian Express Sambalpur
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
SC allows govt to reassess Vi's dues
IN a major relief for Vodafone Idea (Vi), the Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Centre to reassess the demand for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues raised against the telco.
1 min
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
MLA among six BJP leaders expelled
THE BJP on Monday initiated disciplinary action against six leaders, including a sitting MLA, for indulging in anti-party activities, according to a statement issued by Bihar unit of the BJP late on Sunday.
1 min
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
Chained and handcuffed independent — all for a bridge over river Bagmati
MEET Sanjay Sargharsh Singh, an Independent candidate from Bihar’s Sheohar Assembly constituency, who with his distinctive approach, is drawing huge crowds.
1 min
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
IOC to comply with US sanction on Russian oil
INDIAN Oil Corporation (IOC), India’s biggest oil company, said on Monday that it will comply with all applicable sanctions regarding purchases from Russia.
1 min
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
Jaishankar meets Rubio in Malaysia amid tariff tension and trade talks
EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Kuala Lumpur on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summits, marking their second meeting in just over a month, and fourth this year. The two leaders are learnt to have discussed a host of bilateral and regional issues, including trade talks.
1 min
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
Protect forest dwellers from eviction, states told
DAYS after defending the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 in the Supreme Court, the Union government has directed all states and Union territories to ensure that no tribal or forest-dwelling community is forcibly evicted from wildlife sanctuaries or national parks until their rights are fully recognised and settled.
1 mins
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
Students won't tie knots anymore as Raj makes school dress uniform
IN a step toward standardising the education system, the Rajasthan Education Department has introduced a common uniform for students in both government and private schools.
1 mins
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
SACRED SPACES & SHATTERED TRUST
REPORTS of sexual harassment by teachers in educational institutions have been steadily rising.
3 mins
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
Market advances on expectation of US-China trade talks, Fed rate cut
DOMESTIC equity benchmarks advanced on Monday with the NSE Nifty 50 index briefly surging past psychologically significant 26,000 threshold and recording a firm finish ahead of the October F&O expiry.
1 mins
October 28, 2025
The New Indian Express Sambalpur
‘INITIAL LEARNING IN MOTHER TONGUE VERY IMPORTANT’
Proficiency in one language makes picking up another easier, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Dept of School Education, tells the 28th edition of Delhi Dialogues
6 mins
October 28, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size