Amidst all these drastic issues, India has not stood still on attempting to lower the population. In fact, India was the first country to adopt a national family planning program in 1952. It was established to “reduce the birth rate to the extent necessary to stabilize the population at a level consistent with the requirement of the national economy.” In the spring of 2000, India’s government cabinet approved a proposal that offers incentives to couples having no more than two children. Health Minister N.T. Shanmugham stated that the proposal included a family welfare-linked insurance plan for couples that go through sterilization after two children. There will also be rewards for couples with earnings less than one U.S. dollar a day, marry after age 21, and have no more than two children.

The head of the Indian government’s family welfare department, A.R. Nanda, pointed out two years ago that “if at least 30 percent of India’s contraceptive needs are met within 4 to 6 years, total fertility can be brought down to 2.1 children per woman by 2010.” Yet even today with eight years to go, that prediction seems slim. By the summer of 2000, a $22.5 million special fund was announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to promote family planning programs. The Prime Minister told a National Commission on Population conference that the family planning will intend to stabilize India’s population in 20 years (Popline).

As stated previously, India adds more people to the world every day than any other country. Not only are the natural areas in India being severely crushed but also the standards of living for the human beings inhabiting the country are extremely low. It is obvious in the years to come that population needs to be controlled; not only for our own quality of life, but as more people live on the planet natural areas are taken over for living space and crop production. The most serious environmental disturbances are air pollution, global warming, habitat alteration, and water pollution, all activities that will intensify with the increase of population. India exemplifies the extreme condition of overpopulation with the continuing struggle and hope for a solution.

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