INDIA'S POPULATIoN
Sta,—The claim of your correspondent, Mr. D. B. Srivastava, that India is not overpopulated and food supply has kept ahead of population is erroneous. Sir Azizul Huque, Food Member, Viceroy's Council, quoting official statistics, stated (C.md. 6479 of .1943) as follows: rice production from '19n-t2 to 1942-43 remained nearly constant ; the population between oto-t r and 194' increased by 77 millions, while the main food- grain production remained constant between so and 51 million tons ; in Bengal the average per caput rice production from 1911-12 to 1920-21 was 384 lbs., whereas the normal production now is only 314 lb. Thus poPulation growth has far outstripped food production. In fact, food production has not increased perceptibly, the population has got less and less to eat, and the standard of living, always low, has declined heavily.
Secondly, Major-General Sir John Megaw, with 571 Indian doctors co-operating, had a survey made of typical rural villages. They found that over 6o per cent, of the people were poorly or badly nourished (vide puma/ of the Royal Society of Arts, 16/12/38, and Social Service in India (Blunt). In Bengal defective distribution, weak administration, war and natural- calamities, merely intensified the chronic mass under nutrition into famine. The real underlying cause was overpopulation. Reproduction being unrestrained, the population increases by five millons a year. Industrialisation and agricultural development, though \ erY
desirable, can never overtake Indian population growth. The Royal Commission on Indian Agriculture pointed this out. As J. S. Mill said, science can never elevate the universal lot until the increase of mankind comes under deliberate guidance. If Indian governments and leading men want to reduce and abolish mass semi-starvation and famines, they will have to establish general adult education (as Mr. Laubach has shown is practicable) including instruction of the people regarding the need for, and the methods of, family limitation; ,and arrange facilities. Otherwise, Nature's checks of famines and epidemics will inevitably sweep away . millions of excess population periodically. The educated peoples of Western Europe have avoided overpopulation and malnutrition by adopt- ing, without Government guidance, family limitation. The Indian popula- tion, being mainly illiterate, will require State guidance.—I am, etc.,
Previous page
