Bootstrapping India
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Why   is   India   failing   to   control   its   population?


    Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Reasons why population growth of India is much higher than West
  3. Non issues
  4. How can citizens of India control population?


Introduction

Though population growth rate and fertility rate (number of children per woman) in India has been reducing, we are far far above fertility rate of 2.1 which is needed for 0% growth. Not just 0% growth, we need NEGATIVE growth rate, so that population of India reaches to 30cr, so that we can develop at a faster rate.

The Western countries have shown a remarkable progress in controlling population, without much drum beating. Most western countries have reached a growth rate of 0.5%, or less, and this is extremely impressive. The purpose of this article is to enumerate and discuss ONLY those factors
  1. which reduce population growth rate, are present in West, and absent in India
  2. which increase population growth rate, are present in India, and absent in West
The purpose of this article is NOT to enumerate factors that are present/absent in BOTH countries. Hence a large number of factors, such as moral values, greed etc will get dismissed as non-issues. Why? Becuase greed is present in US/West as well as India. And moral values are at same level in India as well as West.



Factors why India is behind in population control, while West has successfully controlled population?

In India, there is no economic disincentive for man or woman to have fewer children. In West, almost every woman has a job, and many have a career. So they DO NOT want to spend too much time, in bearing and raising children. Also, women are independent from family pressures, and so there is no hurry to marry. This also delays the pregnancies.

In West, the girl and boy become sexually active without marriage, and so they have lesser reason to get married at an early age, and this also delays the child birth.

Also, West has developed an excellent social security system which ensures that a childless aged person DOES NOT feel helpless. This has drastically reduced the necessity of having a son or duaghter for westerners. In India, the hardships are so intense, anyone would simply feel scared of living alone at elderly age. Hence, there is tremendous desire for children.



Non issues

  1. Lack of education is a non-issue. Everyone with common sense knows that lesser children improves economic well being Basically, individuals who are well off, feel that they will be able to live independently at elderly age tend to have fewer children, and they happen to be educated. So there is MERE correlation between education and having fewer children, there is no strong dependence.

  2. Religion is indeed a factor --- Muslims tend to have higher fertility rate than Hindus, who have higher fertility rate than Christian. But religion has much much minor impact compared to economic incentives that EASs would create. Less than 5% Muslims, for examples, would accept 33% to 66% lesser income to bear 3rd/4th child. Hence despite religious ferver, most muslims would opt for fewer children.

  3. Polygamy is a non-issue.

  4. Culture, political culture, history etc are non-issues.



How can citizens of India reduce fertility rate?

Trivial.
  1. Steps 1-3: The citizens should force MLAs, MPs and District Panchayat Members to create procedures that would enable citizens to pass laws in District Panchayats, Assemblies and Parliament. Please read LM.01 to see the procedure using which citizens can pass laws in District Panchayats and City Councils. Please read LM.02 to see the procedure using which citizens can pass laws in Assembly. And please read LM.03 to see the procedure using which citizens can pass laws in Parliament.

  2. Steps 4-17 : The citizens of India, using LM.01-03 can enact procedures EAS.01-14. These procedures will enable citizens to collect royalty from natural resources and divide it equitably, and have clauses that REDUCE the amount that citizens get if they have more children. IOW, the EASs provide a powerful incentive for having fewer and fewer children. To be specific, all EAS have following clause :

    Section 5B : Procedures to reduce population growth

    5B.1 [Person responsible for this procedure/directive: Registrar; Purpose: Population control] Twelve months after passing this law, after re-approval of over 50% of the Corporators a)the Registrar will reduce 33% Allowances of men and women who have more than 2 children, the last children one must be born 2 years after this law is passed. b)the Registrar will reduce 66% Allowances of men and women who have more than 3 children, the last two children must be born 2 years after this law is passed

    5B.2 [Person responsible for this procedure/directive: Registrar ; Purpose: Reducing female infanticide] The Registrar will count 2 or less female children will count as 1 child in case of the above clause

    5B.3 [Person responsible for this procedure/directive: Registrar; Purpose: Reducing female feticide] Twelve months after passing this law, after re-approval of over 50% of the Corporators, the Registrar will give additional 33% Allowances to each parent with 1 or more female child and 66% additional Allowances to those with 2 or more female children.



  3. Steps 18-33 : The citizens of India, using LM.01-03 can enact procedures CT.01-16. These procedures will improve courts and administration, and would make interface of govts, banks and utility companies simple enough that elderly men can live with minimal hardships that they would NOT need a child to support them. This will reduce the need have children, and this will reduce fertility rate.

  4. Step 34-36 : The citizens of India, using LM.01, can
    1. enact procedure ID.04
    2. reduce stamp duty from 12% to 0.5% and replace it by annual wealth tax of 1%,
    3. enaqct procedure CIVIL.02.
    ID.04 and reducing stamp duty will improve liquidity in real estate market and CIVIL.02 will improve rental market. These three changes will create a large number of small (300-500sqft) apartments, which will be availbe for very low price and thus very low rent. In addition, procedures CT.02 and CT.04 will improve police/courts and thus create a safer society. How will improvement in safety and reduction in rent reduce fertility rate? When rents reduce and society is safe, a large number of girls and boys will start living singly, on their own, and will become sexually active at a younger age, and will no longer hurry for marriage. IOW, marrying age will get delayed. This will reduce fertility rates.

These TRIVIAL steps will improve courts and administration, and would make interface of govts, banks and utility companies simple enough that elderly men can live with minimal hardships that they would NOT need a child to support them. This will reduce the need have children, and this will reduce fertility rate. These TRIVIAL steps will enable citizens of India to reduce population, without reduce female/male ratio.



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