World Population Day is a United Nations-mandated holiday observed on July 11, every year. This holiday was first declared in 1989. The day is dedicated to creating awareness about population rise and related issues. This day was drawn out from the inspiration of the buzz created by “Five Billion Day” on July 11, 1987. On this day the world’s population reached 5 billion.
Topics such as this are important for your General Awareness preparation that is assessed in exams like NABARD Grade A, NABARD Grade B, FCI AGM, SBI Clerk and other banking and railway exams. Read on to learn about World Population Day.
Importance of World Population Day
This day is observed to increase dialogue about the urgent need to find solutions for the fast-growing population and related problems. Overpopulation hinders the socio-politico-economic development of a country. This problem is particularly potent in developing countries like India.
World Population Day and the United Nations Population Fund
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was established in 1969 to improve reproductive and maternal health all over the world. In 2015, the member nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The UNFPA works towards Family Planning and Sustainable Development. The UNFPA works closely with organizations such as the Commission on Population & Development and the United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs.
World Population Day 2021 Theme
The theme for this year is “Rights and choices are the answer: Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritizing the reproductive health and rights of all people”.
The theme for World Population Day 2020 was “How to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now”
World Population Day 2021
The world has been struggling to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year now. We are in a peculiar situation wherein there have been thousands of deaths in the last months. However, the population problem is different for different countries. The periods of lockdown, both in India and abroad, have exposed several related problems such as gender inequality, domestic violence, gender-based violence and the crumbling mental health of the youth.
World Population Day: India
In a country like India, World Population Day holds special importance and urgency. India has a population of 1.39 billion and is the second most populated country in the world. The issues related to population in India are:
- Overcrowding in cities
- Lack of education and employment opportunities
- Poor standard of living
- Immense pressure on natural resources
- Pressure on electricity and water resources
- Cheap labour and child labour
- Negative effect on income dispensation and social immunity
World Population Day: Issues to Address
Overpopulation in India is due to several factors. They are:
- Low rates of education and literacy
- Lack of family planning education
- The desire for a male child
- Viewing children as a source of income (the more no. of children the more sources of income per family)
- Planning more children due to high mortality rates
World Population Day: The Road Ahead
So how can we solve these problems? On this day, we should step back and reflect on how we can, as individuals, as a society and as a polity, solve these pressing issues related to overpopulation that directly or indirectly affect all of us.
- Ensuring all children receive at least primary and higher secondary education
- Educating people of family planning and safe sex practices
- Improving good nutrition for new mothers and children
- Improving the overall standard of living
- Improving hospital and maternity facilities
- Aligning India’s goals with the UN Sustainable Development Programmes
World Population Day Trivia
- China is the most populated country in the world with a population of 1.44 billion.
- India is expected to surpass China as the most populous country by 2027.
- The country with the smallest population is Vatican City with a population of around 800 people.
- In India, the most populated state is Uttar Pradesh with a population of 23.50 Crore.
- The least populated is the Union Territory of Lakshadweep with a population of around 66,150 people.
While we aim toward solving overpopulation and related problems, it is also time to step back and reflect on the quality of life that we are providing to our citizens. As aspiring government servants, you will have the opportunity to touch millions of lives and to better them in one or more ways. You must ensure that the quality of life of people is progressively improved in whichever capacity.
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