India must prepare early for ageing population challenge, coercive controls don’t work: Experts

New Delhi (TIP): With the Supreme Court saying that laws penalising having more than two children may have lost their relevance, experts feel India has a limited window to benefit from its demographic dividend, and it is closing.
The experts also want India to prepare early for meeting the twin challenge of an ageing population and a shrinking proportion of young people entering the workforce.
Observing that India’s total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped from 3 to 1.9 since 2003, the apex court on Wednesday said that laws aimed at limiting population growth have now lost their significance.
“We are of the strong opinion that laws that penalise having more than two children have lost their relevance. The foundation of such laws, i.e., the fear of overpopulation, has crumbled due to demographic changes in the past few decades,” the court noted.
Commenting on the observations, Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, Population Foundation of India, told PTI that India faces the twin task of reaping the remaining demographic dividend while preparing for an ageing society.
It is imperative to revisit the population policy in that context and how it is implemented, she said.
“It means skilling young people, supporting more women to enter the workforce meaningfully, and building social security and care systems for an older population. India’s economic future depends a great deal on how well it brings women into the workforce,” Muttreja said.
Seema Bhaskaran, gender expert at Transform Rural India, said India’s population policy with control over women’s fertility and bodies has led to a severe decline in fertility.
“The demographic shift will lead to an ageing population and a reduction in the working-age population. India will have to design social security and health programmes for its senior citizens.
“However, its population will continue growing for some time due to demographic momentum and the working-age population will initially remain large, offering economic opportunities,” she said.
Muttreja also said that India’s population will continue to grow for some decades, but the change is in our age structure.
“Our projections show the working-age share peaking at around 66 per cent in 2031 and declining thereafter. India has a limited window to benefit from its demographic dividend, and it is closing,” she said.