Vice Prez Venkaiah Naidu Expresses Concerns Over Increasing Population, Calls Skewed Sex Ratio 'Silent Emergency'

The Vice President releases two reports on the status of ‘Sex Ratio at Birth’ and ‘Elderly Population in India’ by the Indian Association of Parliamentarians for Population and Development (IAPPD)

Photo: Twitter/@VPSecretariat

New Delhi: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has expressed concerns that the increasing population will make it difficult to deal with the challenges with regard to development.  The Vice President was addressing a virtual gathering on Thursday when he emphasised on the need for family planning and urged public representatives and political parties to focus on the same. The address followed the release of two reports titled 'Status of Sex Ratio at Birth in India' and 'Elderly Population in India: Status and Support Systems', brought out by the Indian Association of Parliamentarians for Population and Development (IAPPD) in New Delhi. Appreciating the IAPPD, Naidu said: "We must all recognise the connection between population and development" and talked about to the predictions of experts which stated that India's population is expected to grow to 1.52 billion by 2036 (increase by 25 percent with reference to 2011). He further spoke about delivering basic services and said that India was facing several challenges with 20 percent of the population being below the poverty line and an equal proportion being illiterate.

Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu cautions about development challenges as population size increases

Releases two reports of the IAPPD;‘Status of Sex Ratio at Birth in India’ and ‘Elderly Population in India: Status and Support Systems’ Read: https://t.co/caicRz4bJK — PIB India (@PIB_India) August 20, 2020

Talking about the revival of India's traditional joint family system, Naidu stated "Our family system must serve as a model for other countries to emulate." He also spoke about the importance of training the elderly with new skills for them to be able to lead a professional life and contribute to the economy and national interests. Meanwhile, India has also been witnessing a skewed sex ratio over the years which Naidu has described as a silent emergency that has serious consequences in adversely affecting the stability of our society. He said, "We must also ensure adequate reservation for women in the Parliament and all state legislatures and appeal to all the political parties to arrive at a consensus at the earliest on this important issue." "Country's progress will be hampered if women are not empowered politically," Naidu added.

Women must get adequate reservation in the Parliament and all state legislatures.

I urge all political parties to arrive at a consensus at the earliest on this important issue. Country’s progress will be hampered if women are not empowered politically. #IAPPD pic.twitter.com/RRzj0MYQLV — Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) August 20, 2020

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