Sanjeev Sanyal urges dropping population controls as India's TFR falls
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), thinks India should drop its old population control policies.
In a new paper, he points out that India's total fertility rate (TFR) has already fallen below what's needed to keep the population steady: it is at 1.9 overall, and just 1.6 if you leave out Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Sanyal warns of economic slowdown risk
The paper warns that if India keeps pushing for fewer children, it could end up like Northern Europe or the United States, places where super-low birth rates have led to aging populations and economic slowdowns.
Sanyal suggests ditching incentives for sterilization and rewards tied to having only two children.
Instead, he wants family planning to focus on health and personal choice, so India does not get stuck in a low-fertility trap that is very difficult to reverse.