WE ARE AND WE SHALL BE INDIANS

According to the Worldometers elaboration of the latest United Nations data, the population of India as of now is 137.28 crores. This is 17.71% of the world population. Further demographic details are given below.

Density - 382 people per sq km (2011 est), Growth rate - 1.19% (2016) (96th), Birth rate - 20.2 births/1000 population (2017 est), Death rate - 6.3 deaths/1000 population (2017 est), Life expectancy - 68.89 years (2009 est), Fertility rate - 2.2 children born/woman (2016 est), Infant mortality rate - 41 deaths/1000 live births (2016 est), 0-14 years - 28.6%, 15-64 years - 63.6% (2009 est), 65 and above - 5.3% (2009 est)

According to Madison's estimate the population of India in 1000 AD was 7.5 crores, 1500 AD - 11 crores, 1750 AD - 18.2 crores and 1820 AD - 20.9 crores.

Population during the British regime was : 1871- 23.8 cr, 1901 - 29.4, 1921 - 31.9 and 1941 - 38.9

Significantly, while India occupies 2.41% of the world's land area supports around 18% of the world's population.

According to the 2011 census, major religious population are: (Growth rate given in the bracket) Hinduism - 79.8% (16.8%), Islam - 14.23% (24.6%),  Christianity - 2.3% (15.5%) and Sikhism - 1.79% (8.4%)

The literacy rate of some states are given below: (overall % - Male % - Female %)

J & K 86.61 - 87.26 - 86.23

Punjab 86.60 - 81.48 - 71.34

Delhi 86.34 - 91.03 - 80.93

UP 69.72 - 79.24 - 59.26

Bihar 63.82 - 73.39 - 53 33

Sikkim 82.20 - 87.29 - 76.43

WB 77.08 - 82.67 - 71.16

Odisha 72.90 - 82.40 - 64.36

Gujarat 79.31 - 87.23 - 70.73

Maharashtra 83.20 - 89.82 - 75.48

Karnataka 75.60 - 82.85 - 68.13

TN 80.33 - 86.81 - 73.86 

Kerala 93.91 - 96.02 - 91.98

India 74.03 - 82.14 - 65.46

While the above given data shows the demographic basics of India, we will try to compare this with the efforts of the central government to control the population growth of India. The new bill of the central government, Citizenship Amendment an Act, has already brought wide protests from a good number of people of  India. The discriminatory nature of the bill is the prime cause of the protests. Unauthorised settlement of foreign nationals in India can be prevented by law. No one will protest against such a law. When the prevention is based on any religion or a particular community people may sharply react to it. We should not maintain an inbuilt enmity against any sect of people for any reason. If we trace back the history of our country we can find that very large number of people were converted from one religion to the other. Today, people belonging to these two sects looking at each other like born enemies, if probe the past route map of both, they will end up in the same blood.

We are Indians. We shall continue to live as Indians. No power in the world can split us. Neither any political parties nor any government should take any action that may divide the Indians.

KV George

kvgeorgein@gmail.com