POPULATION
People are themselves resources with varying qualities.
Population is the point of reference from which all other elements
are observed and from which they derive significance and meaning.
The Census of India provides us with information regarding the
population of our country.
Population Size and Distribution
Uttar Pradesh accounts for about 16 per cent of the country’s
population.
India’s population as in March 2001 stood at 1,028 million accounting
for 16.7 per cent of the world’s population.
Population density is calculated as the number of persons per unit
area.
Population density is affected by relief of the area.
Population Growth and Processes of Population Change
The numbers, distribution and composition of the population are
constantly changing.
Growth of population refers to the change in the number of
inhabitants of a country/territory during a specific period of time.
When more than a billion people increase even at lower rate, the
total numbers added becomes very large.
The declining trend of the growth rate is indeed a positive indicator
of the efforts of birth control.
The natural increase of population is the difference between birth
rates and death rates.
The number of death per thousand persons in a year is the Death Rate.
Migration is the movement of people across regions and territories.
Migration changes not only population size but also the population
composition of urban and rural populations in terms of age and sex composition.
The age composition of a population refers to the number of people in
different age groups in a country.
The population of a nation is generally grouped into three broad
categories, namely children (generally below 15 years), working age (15 - 59)
years) and aged (above 59 years).
Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per thousand males in
the population.
The sex ratio in India has always remained unfavourable to females.
A person of seven years of age or above who is able to read and write
with a certain understanding is called a literate.
The distribution of the population according to different types of
occupation is referred to as the occupational structure.
Primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry,
fishing, mining and quarrying etc. Secondary activities include manufacturing
industry, building and construction work etc. Tertiary activities include
transport, communications, commerce, administration and other services.
Sustained efforts of government programmes have registered
significant improvements in the health conditions of the Indian population.
It is a matter of concern that the per capita calorie consumption is
much below the recommended level in India.
Adolescent population constitutes one fifth of the total population
of India.
Adolescents in India face the problem of malnutrition that can be
dealt with by spreading awareness, literacy and education among them.
The Family Welfare Programme has sought to promote responsible and
planned parenthood on a voluntary basis.
National Population Policy 2000 aims at improving conditions of
adolescents, aiming at encourages delayed marriages and child bearing, educating
about risks of unprotected sex and provisions for nutritional needs.