Population, Poverty and Employment in India

This paper represents a preliminary attempt to examine the successes and failures of the Indian economy in integrating population issues with development planning and what were, or would be, the consequences of rapid population growth for the alleviation of poverty in the country. The first section of the paper discusses the momentum of population growth since independence and examines the prospects of reducing its growth rate in future. This section analyses the crucial role of social and human development in influencing fertility rates and shows how little emphasis was placed on promoting these objectives in Indian planning. The second section is devoted to a detailed examination of the relationship between foodgrains production and population growth. This section examines the factors that determine the inter-state differences in foodgrains consumption and evaluates the role of the public distribution system in lessening the inequalities in consumption. The third and final section presents a broad analysis of a few important questions relating to labour market adjustments in response to population growth. This section touches upon the questions of the inadequacy of the concepts used in measuring employment and unemployment within the institutional and social structure prevailing in different parts of the country, the relationship between agricultural wages and agricultural productivity and the likely pressure on employment generated by the enormous increase in labour force during the next 35 years.