Population explosion is 'root cause' of many problems in India: Plea in SC

Population explosion is the root cause of many problems in the country but the Centre has not taken appropriate steps to enact a stringent law till date to curb the menace a plea filed in the Supreme Court saidIn a rejoinder to the Centres response to a PIL BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay said the Centre has unequivocally opposed forcing family planning on its people and any coercion to have a certain number of children as it is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortionsUpadhyay has challenged a Delhi High Court order that dismissed a plea seeking certain steps including the twochild norm to control the countrys growing populationThe plea stated that Population Control and Family Planning is part of ListIII of Seventh Schedule Entry 20A in the Constitution and hence the Centre can make stringent rulesregulations to control population explosion but it has not taken appropriate steps to enact a stringent law till dateThe facts constituting the cause of action accrued on December 10 2020 when in a written reply Health Ministry said that Centre is against forcing family planning and wont take coercive action the plea filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey saidUpadhyay submitted in his plea that population explosion is also the root cause of the pitiable condition of the countrys international ranking in various fieldsWe are ranked 103rd in the Global Hunger Index 43rd in Suicide Rate 168th in Literacy Rate 133rd in World Happiness Index 125th in Gender Discrimination among others the plea saidContending that population explosion is the basic cause of more than 50 per cent problems of the country the plea said effective control measure is the need of the hourThe Centre had earlier told the apex court that it is unequivocally against forcing family planning on its people and any coercion to have a certain number of children is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortionsIn an affidavit filed in the top court the health ministry had told the apex court that the family welfare programme in the country is voluntary in nature which enables couples to decide the size of their family and adopt family planning methods best suited to them according to their choice and without any compulsionThe ministry had said that public health is a state subject and the state governments must lead the process of health sector reforms in a suitable and sustainable manner to protect the common people from health hazardsImprovement in the health sector can be effectively led by the state government with effective monitoring and specific intervention to control and regulate the implementation process of the guidelines and schemes in a proper perspective it saidThe answering respondent no ministry plays a supportive and facilitative role in achieving the health care reforms and outcomes It is reiterated that the answering respondent no 1 merely acts as a facilitator for providing accessible and affordable health care through stateled reforms in the health sector it had saidThe ministry had said that as far as implementation of the guidelines and schemes in the states is concerned it does not have any direct role and it is the prerogative of the respective state governments to implement the schemes as per the prescribed guidelinesThe Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had told the top court that India has adopted a comprehensive and holistic National Population Policy NPP 2000 with clearly articulated objectives strategic themes and operational strategiesThe National Health Policy NHP 2017 provides for a policy guidance to inform clarify strengthen and prioritise the role of the government in shaping health systems in all its dimensions it had saidThe Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 1994 to which India is a signatory is unequivocally against coercion in family planningThe apex court had earlier sought the Centres reply on a plea challenging a Delhi High Court order that dismissed a PIL seeking certain steps including twochild norm to control the countrys rising populationAlso read Supreme Court orders implementation of ration scheme till July 31The appeal has challenged the September 3 high court order which said it was for Parliament and the state legislatures to enact laws and not for the courtThe PIL said the high court failed to appreciate that the right to clean air drinking water health peaceful sleep shelter livelihood and education guaranteed under Articles 21 and 21A of the Constitution could not be secured to all citizens without controlling the population explosionThe plea in the high court had claimed that the population of India had marched ahead of China as about 20 per cent of Indians did not have Aadhaar and therefore were not accounted for and there were also crores of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis living illegally in the countryIt claimed that population explosion is also the root cause of corruption apart from being a contributory factor behind heinous crimes such as rape and domestic violenceIt also held population explosion responsible for pollution and the dearth of resources and jobsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever