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Population boom will leave Hindi belt behind, warns Gujral

Former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral has said population explosion, illiteracy and the status of women would be among the biggest challenges to be faced by the country during the next century.

''Population growth at the present rate is a matter of grave concern,'' he said while speaking at the fifteenth annual conference of Rotary International district 3040 in Bhopal last night.

Pointing out that the rate of population growth in southern states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and the north eastern state of Mizoram had come down considerably because of female literacy, Gujral said, however, the situation in the Hindi belt was alarming due to illiteracy and other factors.

''If the present situation continued, the Hindi belt will lag behind the non-Hindi belt states at least by 100 years in economic progress by the turn of next century,'' he said, adding that propaganda for family planning would not be effective until illiteracy was banished.

The former prime minister said the disparity in economic progress and development between two regions would ultimately cast its shadow on the country's unity itself as these regions could find it difficult to co-exist.

Stating that the country's population had touched almost one billion, Gujral said it was not possible to arrest population growth so long as women remained illiterate.

Stressing the need for giving more care to the girl child, Gujral said, ''We cannot build our future unless we cared for them.'' He said it was a reality that the girl child in every family was facing some sort of discrimination.

''In some sections even nutritious food is being denied to the girl child,'' he said, adding that forums like Rotary had the basic responsibility of bringing about attitudinal changes in the society.

Asserting that there was a need for an intensive drive against illiteracy, Gujral said it was necessary as several problems, including those arising out of population, could be solved by achieving full literacy.

Throwing light on the achievements made in this century, the former prime minister said the developments in the field of science and technology had changed the thoughts of human beings. ''We also saw the rise and fall of socialist revolution, two major wars and nuclear power,'' he added.

Stating that next hundred years will be a century of challenge, Gujral said social attitude and relationship would also be under severe stress.

He said the media, particularly the vernacular press, could play a vital role in creating awareness among the masses with regard to population growth and illiteracy, unfortunately these basic problems were not getting much media attention, he observed.

''If someone threatens to disrupt a game or screening of a film, it will catch front page headlines,'' he said, and pointed out that a recent conference on population did not get space even on the fifth pages of newspapers.

UNI

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